Christmas Cousin

Welcome to Ethan Cash Andrade... Liam's cousin, born on Christmas Day 2009. He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 21 inches long. In a few days Liam and Mommy will go on an adventure to Austin to meet little Ethan.

Liam's first Christmas at home was eventful. We spent a lot of time hanging out with friends -- and of course, Santa visited our house. Liam was so excited to see what was in his Christmas stocking, hung on the doorknob of his room. Then when he opened his taxi car wash and tiny car ramps, he really needed nothing else. He opened the rest of his gifts merely as a favor to us... though he was quite happy with the other gifts too.

In church, Liam was the only little child, seeing as most people go to the Christmas Eve service. When the pastor asked the congregation for characteristics of Jesus, Liam shouted out, "He a baby!" Then Liam started mooing, because there were cows in the manger. Luckily he's loved by everyone at church, so it was cute.

On Christmas, Liam weighed about 36 pounds and was about 36 inches tall. Compared to Liam, Baby Ethan is tiny.

Pink School Bus With 5 Engines

Hello Liam,

Tonight is Christmas Eve, the first one you might be able to remember. Our friends came over, and we had a nice dinner. Then we went over to church, but there were too many people, so we drove around looking at pretty lights instead. We'll go again in the morning. Right now you are so interested in the story of Baby Jesus and Mary that I wouldn't want to deprive you of your last opportunity to hear the story (until next year).

We volunteered at church for a few days in the week before Christmas. You helped pack boxes for more than 50 families in need. Together with other people from church, we wrapped presents, packed bags of groceries and then helped the families load it all into their cars. Each family received a week's worth of groceries, including a turkey or ham, three presents per person and home made Christmas cookies. They also could 'shop' in a special room full of toys and clothes, so they could give other people gifts too. We had lots of fun, and I think you saw how important it is to help others.

You learned to sing "Away in a Manger" at Sunday School (well, Granny helped you remember the words) and you sang in the Christmas Performance a few weeks ago. There were three songs, and you remembered the words to all three, but you preferred to dance (disco style) to the third Baby Jesus lullaby.

You asked Santa for a pink school bus with five engines on it. Santa emailed us a few days later to let us know that school buses aren't pink. He offered to bring you a yellow school bus, but you already have two. So you modified your request, and Santa contacted some friends of his in Hong Kong. They started working on your very special request, but Santa is worried that you won't get what you want for Christmas: A city bus that bends in the middle. You have also asked Santa for a Car Wash for your tiny cars. Lately, you have been most excited to play with this present, so perhaps Santa knows that this is would you would really like.

The thing you are most excited about though, isn't Santa or Christmas. It's that you will have a new cousin very soon. You are so excited to meet the new baby.

For now, though, it's night time, and you will see your present from Santa in the morning. With any luck, you'll also get a new baby cousin for Christmas too!

Merry Christmas Little Bean!

Love,
Mommy

Getting Ready for Santa

We met Santa a few weeks ago at the Community Center. Liam sat on Santa's knee, with only a little reluctance. This was his first encounter, and it went well.

The following day, Granny & Grand Dad, Daddy & Mommy, Joya and Suri all drove to a train station near Mt. Rainier, and we took a train to see Santa's workshop. Liam knew what to expect, and he even showed Suri how to sit quietly, and he encouraged her to not be afraid.

On both occasions, Liam asked Santa for a pink school bus with five engines. Santa thought Liam said Scuba, and wasn't sure what to make of the pinkness factor. We received an email from Santa explaining to Liam that the elves don't make school buses in pink because all school buses are yellow. Liam considered this, and changed his request. Now he wants a toy "bendy bus" that he has seen in downtown Seattle... they are called articulated buses, the kind that bend to go around corners. Let's all hope that Santa and the elves can figure that one out!

Liam has also been practicing "Away in the Manger" for the preschool portion of the Christmas show. For a while he recited the song like poetry -- adding in extra sweets, because "Baby Jesus have a really sweet, sweet head." Frequently the hay is also sweet.

He sang last Sunday, in front of a packed house. He knew the words to the first two songs, and then danced in a shake-your-booty fashion to the third Baby Jesus lullaby. Of course, he's the smallest kid on stage, and hamming it up in his own little way. It's easy to see how he stole the hearts of everyone!

He's learning words to some Christmas songs -- he especially likes The First Noel. He sing/shouts "Noel, noel, noel, no-el," in a high-pitched baby wolf voice through the whole song... and every other Christmas song too. He wanted to know why we don't sing "Jingle Bells" in church, and I explained that we sing hymns in church. "Jingle Bells" is a nice song, but it's not in the hymnal.

The following day, he was singing "Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle bells..." and he kept asking if I had a urinal. (He used a child-size urinal at the mall that day, so I assumed the two were unrelated.) It took a while to understand that he wanted to learn the words to "Jingle Bells." If "Jingle Bells" isn't in the 'him'nal, it was in the 'her'nal.

Good grief!

Oh, that's another surprise Christmas bonus. Liam LOVES Charlie Brown Christmas. It's old, and full of sarcasm and their mouths don't match the words, but he watches it over and over. When I was little we got to see it one time a year, if we caught it on live TV. Not, thanks to DVR, Liam watches Snoopy decorate his dog house nearly every day. And he laughs every time. This is his favorite part. He tries to dance like them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQX2B67KL4&feature=related

GwannyGwandDad/Vacation

Just after Halloween, Liam's grandparents arrived from England. Liam was so tired, he fell asleep in his chair before we went to the airport to get them. Once we were at the airport, he recognized Granny & Grand dad and ran to them to say hello. He was so excited to see them both.

It only took a few days for him to get used to them being around. He learned that teatime is at 10 and 2, and toast with marmalade is nice. Liam grew especially fond of Grand dad's stories, and often told Grand dad who would be in the story. Most often it was Liam, Christopher Robin, Curious George, Spiderman, and some of Liam's friends.

Train Table for a Big Boy!

When Liam was a bit smaller, he was promised a train table. Liam had to work very hard to earn his train table. The agreement was the Liam could have his train table when he had no more diapers and no more accidents. A boy who knows how to take a break from playing to go use the potty is old enough to take care of a very nice toy, with lots of pieces, like a train set. (Liam also considered that with all this talk about potty *training* there must be a train involved somewhere.)

So this week, realizing that Liam hasn't had an accident in several weeks, Liam asked for his train table. Last night, we went to the store and picked out the one he wanted. It had to have a crane, just like his friend Carter's set. This morning, Liam was very patient while he and Daddy put the table together, and set up the track. He's proud of himself and he loves playing with his new toy!

Tonight Liam will go out trick-or-treating dressed as a dragon. The librarian thought he looked a bit like a Wild Thing from 'Where the Wild Things Are'. He loves to roar.

Tomorrow Liam will be 2 years and 8 months old. He is three feet tall, weighs 33 pounds, and is potty trained.

October Adventures

The pumpkin farm seems to call children to it in the crisp days of October. The weather held nicely through the early days, but we had all kinds of maladies and challenges to contend with in early October.

For starters, learned a costly but valuable lesson at the end of September. Curious Liam reached up and touched the hot stove while Mommy & Daddy weren't paying attention. He wanted to help make dinner, and of course he thinks he's big enough to figure it out now. He pushed his chair over to the stove, and the next we heard was screaming and crying. Luckily the burns to two fingers weren't terrible. And while painful, they healed without scarring.

October was also challenging, because we took Liam out of daycare. He asked to stay with our friend Erica while Mommy taught classes. The idea was that he would take a nap in the afternoon, so Mom could get some work done. That rarely happened. However, we made it through, and at the end of the month, Mommy started a non-teaching session. It was an easy decision to keep Liam home for the rest of the year once we learned Granny and Grand dad will visit in November.

Of course, October a the month children look forward to, with Halloween parties, trick-or-treating and hayrides on the agenda. This year, Liam dressed up as a Dragon. He and Mom went out on Halloween night, collected candy, and saw the neighbors in costumes.

We went to the neighborhood Halloween Party. All was fun, but then afterward, there was news that some of the kids at the party had come down with the H1N1 Swine Flu Virus. I didn't get Liam vaccinated specifically for this virus because I thought the virus itself would mutate, or Liam would get the infection before we could get 2 doses in. I worried for a few days that he might get sick... but all was ok. We were still on the heels of the hand/foot/mouth infection disaster of September, so all of us had lower immunity, and lots of dread about getting sick again.
As we reach the end of the month though, everyone is still fairly healthy.

So as mentioned, a trip to anywhere was out of the question in the early month. As the weekends in October became darker, wetter and colder, we realized the need to get to the pumpkin farm, if only to ride the tractor around in a circle. Liam, keenly phobic of anything that might hurt him, didn't want to carve a pumpkin (knives too pointy and dangerous).

Our first try was a Saturday afternoon. Perfect weather, plenty of time... and Liam fell asleep hard five minutes from the farm. On the second try, he forced himself to stay awake... but this time the weather didn't cooperate. The pumpkin farm was a cold, rainy, muddy mess. We had fun anyway.

Liam adopted a small pumpkin and we drew a face on him. He suggested that the pumpkin's mouth should be missing two teeth, just like his!

Taking a Break

School has been an important part of Liam's life since he was 9 months old. We've always called daycare 'school' so Liam might connect his time away from home with learning. He's benefited from the help of a few really good teachers, and we were lucky that he enjoyed spending his days with his friends and teachers at daycare.

At the end August, Liam's school director decided to move most of the children up a level. This was announced mid-August, and by early September, the change would be complete. However, Liam really didn't feel ready to move up. Not many two-and-a-half year olds would be able to tell his parents that he wasn't ready, but Liam is so verbal that he not only explained his problem, but he offered a solution.

Liam loves to talk about everything. He's now speaking in full sentences, holds meaningful conversations (at least they are meaningful to him) and he shares his feelings like they matter to everyone. With this comes a very sensitive side; Liam's afraid of many things. So while it sounds like Liam would be ready for the fun times in Preschool A, he was scared of the big kids, the new teacher and a variety of real (and imagined) things lurking in the new classroom.

What's a parent to do? We tried to help him to accept the new situation and to overcome his fears. After a few weeks, we saw that the stress was changing his sweet personality. He imagined scary things (like bears and bunnies) on the ceiling and on the roadside. Getting him to go into daycare was a daily low point. When I finally observed the class for a few minutes, immediately I knew what was wrong. The children were older, the classroom was chaotic, and the teacher shouted at the children.

So we evaluated the situation and decided it was time for Liam to take a break. Liam suggested that he could stay with Erica (our friend and neighbor) while I worked, and he would let me work when he and I were home together. He also suggested that he could go to Mommy's school because he's big enough now, or he could stay home alone. When I asked what he would do at home, alone all morning, his eyes got real wide. After a long thought, he said, "Read lots of books. And watch a little TV or something."

He's two.

So two days a week, Liam has been spending his early mornings with Erica and Kaile, who is a year younger than Liam. One morning when we both had to go in early, Liam suggested he could make himself breakfast and walk to Erica's by himself.

He's two, but he thinks he's twelve.

On Mondays, he hangs out with Carter and Krysti, who he refers to as "My Carter" and "My Kwisti." She watched Liam when he was about 5-9 months old, and he still remembers it. One morning on the way to her house, he said, "Remember when Kristi came to our house and Carter and I would stand at the baby gate and yell like this 'aaaaaaaaahhhh' like that?" In fact I did remember, and was only a little surprised that Liam did too. My sweet memory was interrupted by the voice in the back seat that added, " He still yells like that. But now it's funner."

Birthday Wishes

September is one of the most popular month to be born. In our world, a lot of happy birthdays go out during this month. Liam now knows how to sing "Happy Birthday" though he most frequently sings the song to himself.

In honor of the September birthdays, Astronaut Liam sends his love.

IN ORDER
Nina Simone, Daddy, Karry, Auntie Lynda, Nana, and Auntie Katie. Great-grandpa comes soon too, in October.

Autumn, Not Fall

We are starting to see the weather change, and with the colder nights comes a little color in the trees. The school buses are back on the roads, and the pumpkin decorations are starting to show up. Summer must be over.

Liam asked about the seasonal change, so we learned the new word -autumn. He doesn't like the word fall. He says it sounds like it hurts.

He eagerly anticipates Kindergarten, watching the littlest students at the elementary school lining up outside every morning. In his mind, he's ready. All he needs is a lunchbox and someone to sign him up. We often discuss the requirements; being able to write his name, for example. "You need to be four-and-a-half years old to go there," I tell him. He simply throws out the age requirement, "I big boy now." I should probably add using verbs to the list, but for now, his caveman sentences are endearing.

Our plan is to enroll him at a nearby Montessori Preschool in January. At one point, my goal was to enroll him in Preschool so that he would start in September, when he turned two-and-a-half. In fact, he wasn't quite ready to make that transition, given the changes he's working through at daycare right now. At this school, the children make their own snacks every day. Liam equates this to being able to eat whatever he wants for snack. He plans to eat goldfish crackers and apple juice every day. He tells me this every day. I think he is in for a rude awakening.

Snack seems to be a constant attraction in his world. Sunday school started at church this week. He was not very excited about going until he learned that he gets to eat a snack at Sunday school. Once he sucked down a juice box and devoured several handfuls of crackers, he decided we could come back again. But as we were leaving, just to be sure, he asked, "Is there snack every time?" Smart kid.

End of Summer

Bye-Bye Summer
Liam's birthday marks the start of spring. Mommy's birthday bridges the gap between Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Daddy's birthday closes summer out, falling once every seven years on Labor Day itself.

So the third summer of Liam's life is nearly over. It seems summer was created with children in mind; warm, sunny days for playing outside, evenings that linger, bathed in light until well after bedtime. Liam took every advantage of playing and staying up well past his 8PM bedtime whenever possible. It seems as though this summer was his first opportunity to play like a big kid. He played in his playhouse, kicked around a soccer ball, and learned to enjoy hiking in the woods. It seemed every day was filled with new adventures for Little Bean.

Early this summer, Liam couldn't make it up the ladder on the playground in front of the house by himself. Not only did he figure it out on his own, but he also showed his friends how. With practice, all things eventually are possible.



Liam also explored on back of a bicycle for the first time. Thanks to a new bike seat, he gets a great view of the neighborhood. "Faster, Daddy, faster," the backseat driver shouts.

With each passing day, Liam's vocabulary -- and imagination -- grew. Our little boy who once wailed when his needs were under met now explains in full detail that he wants his milk in the pink sippy cup with an orange lid, and if possible he'd like the milk to be chocolate milk.

Most of what he tells us about is really important. Yesterday, for example, he deducted that octopuses don't travel by train because there isn't any water inside for them to live in. Right now he likes to figure out what animals eat, and where they live. Squirrels live in trees and eat acorns, just like Piglet, he announced a few days ago. But then he wondered why Piglet lives in a tree, if in fact he is a pig. Rules are the foundation of a two-and-a-half year-old's existence.

Liam was helping me put away groceries. Fruits go in the fruit bowl; meats go in the meat drawer; cereals go in the cupboard. "Where do treats go?" Liam asked holding the dried apricots he loves so much. I didn't respond right away, so he answered for me. "I know, treats go in Liam's tummy!"

This summer, Liam's been working on more than just his vocabulary. Thanks to a great teacher at school, and lots of practice on behalf of everyone, Liam is nearly out of diapers. As soon as Liam is accident-free most of the time, Liam gets to go to Montessori School. He's very excited.

We look forward to fall, including Halloween and Thanksgiving. Summer is fun, but so are the other seasons!

Daddy's Big Birthday!

Liam,

I met your Daddy when he was 28, while we both studied at Syracuse University. Back then he had a scruffy beard and only wore clothes suitable for hiking in the forests of Central New York. Even then he only had memories of hair, but he was handsome nonetheless.

Today he's a bit less scruffy, which you and I both take responsibility for. He spent most of the day today mucking about in crawlspaces, the garage and the laundry room, doing his best to add networked cables to our cozy home.

Yesterday, you and I went shopping to find gifts for Daddy. You picked out gummy worms for him, and wrapped them up, with only a little help from me. Then, this morning, as soon as you remembered, you brought over the package and proudly told Daddy that the worms wanted to get out. He opened the gift and thanked you, and then we each ate one gummy worm in bed, while we were all still half asleep. You demanded more worms, but then became reasonable when Daddy wanted to save some for later.

After you watched Curious George and Word World, we went downstairs for a nice breakfast. The rain pounded the ceiling, so we turned on the fire to keep us warm. Granny & Grand dad called after breakfast, so we talked for a while.

We've been inside all day. The rain and wind outside have picked up, and really, the only reason to go out would be to get wet. You're snug in your bed right now, listening to Peter and the Wolf, which you love. You get scared when the wolf comes, and you're sad when the wolf eats the duckie. So far, you haven't made it to the end yet, so you don't know that duckie is set free by the wolf, as Peter drags him back to the woods by his tail. Sometimes you like to be the wolf, and Mommy is the kitty and Daddy is the bird. Other times, you insist on being Peter.

When you wake up, you're going to visit Krysti, Dave and Carter, while Mommy and Daddy go to dinner with our friends. We'd love to take you with us, but you will have more fun watching a movie with Carter.

I just wanted to let you know about today, so that you can always know how much you are loved.


Love,
Mommy

Old Car, New Car

Our maroon 1993 Honda Accord lived a good life. She served us well in her 16 years of life... both here and in New Jersey and North Carolina. As we finished our vacation in Lake Chelan, our friend who was watching Zoe was in a 4-car collision at the wheel of "Red Car."

As one does with an older car, we evaluated the life left in her, and what the repairs would cost. In the end, we were somewhat concerned that the airbag didn't go, and that in another crash, Liam would be without side-impact airbag protection. Once upon a time, our main interests in a car were costs; now we consider the unimaginable first. Ahh... parenthood.

So as the dog days of July (all four of them here in Seattle) stretched out to the end, we dragged Liam from one car dealer to another. We tried Toyotas and Minis, Fords and Hondas, and even one car that outsmarted us, before we found our choice: the 2009 Honda Fit Sport in tidewater blue.

One day while Liam was at school, Mommy and Daddy set out to purchase the car. This process is meant to make even the strong weary, with negotiation tactics thrown from both the dealer and the buyer. Luckily, we had done our homework. The first dealer wanted to throw in nearly a thousand dollars in extras. Bah! We did not want $250 floor mats, so we walked away.

At dealer #2, we walked in, named our price, and owned our new car within an hour, sans floor mats. Daddy picked Liam up from school in the new car, which of course Liam wanted to drive right away. The two stopped by the old red car on the way home, to grab her old floor mats (reduce, reuse, recycle) and even she was gone a few days later.

A man who had recently rebuilt a green car, just like our red car, while he was unemployed. He was now going to help his unemployed neighbor fix red car, so he too would have a car when the economy picks up.

It was only when we pulled out the paperwork to sell red car that we noticed an interesting coincidence. The MSRP for our 1993 Honda Accord matched the MSRP of the 2009 Honda Fit Sport to the penny.

While it was difficult to part with the car we drove for so much of our life out here in Seattle, in the end, she will help someone else with a fresh start. We fondly remember taking her on the ferry, over to Orcas Island, for our wedding. She drove tiny Liam home from the hospital on his third day of life. She owed us nothing; and we owed her reprieve from the junkyard, if only for a few years more.

Our new car has already brought us on an adventure; up to Sunrise at Mount Rainier. Liam prefers the new car to Mommy's car, even though both cars are essentially new. I know we'll have more adventures in both cars as time ticks by. If we're lucky, we might even get a few more in this summer...

Birthday Cakes and Motorbike Races

Happy Birthday Suri & Devin!

Liam has been preparing for his friends birthdays for a while. If Liam had his way, every day would be Liam's birthday. He would never have to go to another child's birthday party, because all the parties would be for him, at his house. At least this was how he felt until last week.

Tuesday was Suri's 2nd birthday, and today is D's 2nd birthday. (Yes, Liam's two best friends were born a few days apart, but unfortunately we didn't know Suri back then.) We went to Suri's to celebrate on Tuesday afternoon. Liam had fun playing with Suri's cousins and neighborhood friends. The day would have been perfect had Liam not exploded in the car on the way home. (I think this may be his way of telling us that his medicine needs adjusting, or perhaps he doesn't need it anymore?)

Just before Suri's birthday, Liam figured out that birthday parties are fun, even if he is not the guest of honor. He also realized that his friends get gifts too. So after Suri's party, Liam asked if we could get Devin a Red Step 2 Motorcycle, just like Liam's for Devin's birthday. There was only one thing on Liam's mind at the time, I'm sure: motorcycle races.

The best part about racing motorcycles would have to be the crashing. Both boys enjoyed the first pre-ameteur, back-alley motorbike race, sponsored by Step2 and Huggies.

Liam won the first heat, mostly because Devin was getting used to the bike. D won the second heat, perhaps because Liam was riding in the wrong direction. The bikes malfunctioned in the third heat, with both bikes curiously beeping and honking in unison. In the last heat, both boys got of the bikes and had to be coaxed back on by the bystander daddies. The bikes required tow trucks, and had to be parked in the garage overnight.

Two years ago, Liam was sitting up and eating solid food (well that cereal stuff, if you call that food) and Baby D was still alienlike. Liam started walking around the time that D started to crawl. Even six months ago, there was a substantial difference between the boys, but not so much anymore. After the motorcycle races, they came inside and made towers out of bristle blocks, chatting away for nearly 20 minutes.

The differences between them now are minimal -- mostly personality based now. They do the same things, eat mostly the same foods, speak the same language. Even in size, Liam is still a tiny bit taller, but that's it.

Suri's a different story. She and D are the same age but she's tiny compared to Liam and Devin. I have a feeling they will all catch up by three.

Tonight Liam said his prayers, like always. But he added a thank you to God for giving him his friends, and his motorbike, and for birthdays.

Motorbike races:

07-09 Motorbike

On July 24th Liam weighed about 31 pounds and he calls himself a big boy. He can sing the ABC song on his own, with only a little help.

Harry Potter and the Helicopter Teeter Totter

Friday night Liam's Daddy went to see the new Harry Potter movie with Devin's Daddy. After Liam was in bed, a phone call was made to arrange the details. Liam obviously overheard the discussion.

Shortly after Daddy left, Liam toddled into Mommy's room, blankie in tow. He wanted to know why Daddy was going to the park.

"Daddy go Teeter Totter?" Liam's favorite attraction at the froggie park is the helicopter-themed teeter totter.

I didn't get the connection at first. I told him Daddy went out for a little while. Daddy was not at the park, back in bed.

Liam grudgingly crawled back in bed.

Twenty minutes later, the sun had gone down and it was dark in Liam's room. He appeared again.

"Mommy, Liam scared. Daddy at teeter totter too long. Dark outside. Daddy lost."

I still didn't get the Harry Potter/Teeter Totter connection. He was upset though. I took him to the front porch, where first we drank milk, and then I planned to rock him to sleep. It was too hot upstairs.

He did not fall asleep, insisting that we were waiting for Daddy to come home. I could hear TV on inside, where I heard a commercial for the new Harry Potter movie. It was then that I understood Liam's confusion.

Liam thought Daddy went to play on the Teeter Totter with Brian. The park closes at dark, so when Daddy didn't appear after sunset, something was wrong. Come to think of it, there might be something odd about two grown men teetering and tottering for hours in the dark.

I thought about explaining the confusion to Liam, but had no way to explain Harry Potter without making him sound fun (which he is), in which case Liam would want to know all about Harry Potter.

You're asking why not introduce him to HP? We currently have a long list of phobias, including bears, dinosaurs, alligators, bunnies, big things, bumpy roads, thunder, dentists (rightly so) and Batman. Do we need to add a Whomping Willow or a three-headed dog? Not yet.

Vacation & Big, Big Booms

June 26th- July 2nd

Vacation: Lake Chelan

We managed to escape the city for a few days at the end of June. Having heard great things about the vacation town of Lake Chelan, we packed up and headed out for our 5th Anniversary. Our friends Joya, Suri, Kaylin and Cara were nice enough to join us!

We played at the park and visited a petting zoo/farm. Liam and Cara met goats, ducks, and piggies, and a very hungry horsie. Liam was afraid of the big animals, especially once the horse tried to eat Liam's pants!

The condo we rented was right on Lake Chelan, with several swimming pools and a sandy beach. Joya and Kaylin watched the kids while Mommy & Daddy went out for a delicious anniversary dinner. (Thanks!) Hard to believe five years went by so fast. (We also can't believe how small our friends Cara, Imants and Alnis were back then!)

After our friends went home, we went on an adventure to Stehekin (pronounced Sta-hee-kin), which is located in North Cascades National Park, right at the top of Lake Chelan. No roads lead there, so everyone who visits takes the Lady of the Lake ferry. Liam loved being on the ferry!

At Stehekin, a little village in the Mountains, we had a magical day. We took Liam on his first hike. It was a steep mountain path with a fantastic view of the mountains and lake. He enjoyed hiking and walked by himself in all but the muddy parts.

We taught Liam to play Poohsticks on the bridge over a fast-moving mountain stream. Pooh Sticks is a British tradition, taken from The House at Pooh Corner,

That was the beginning of the game called Poohsticks, which Pooh invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the Forest ... One day Pooh and Piglet and Rabbit and Roo were all playing Poohsticks together. They had dropped their sticks in when Rabbit said "Go!" and then they had hurried across to the other side of the bridge, and now they were all leaning over the edge, waiting to see whose stick would come out first.

Needless to say, Liam enjoyed Poohsticks, perhaps because the stream was swift, so the sticks appeared quickly, or perhaps because he was able to understand the simple rules and play on his own. This was essentially the first game Liam played, with rules and a winner. Pretty soon, we can read Liam the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I've been careful not to spoil them by introducing the Disney era characters, though he recognizes multiple versions of both Pooh and Piglet.

After lunch, we rented bikes and rode a few miles around the northern perimeter of the lake. After a well-deserved ice cream, we biked back and caught the ferry home. We thought we would all struggle with a 4-hour ferry ride back, but the time flew. Liam played with other kids on board. We all had a great time.

We finished our vacation with a walk and an ice cream in downtown Chelan. Liam came across a wood-carved statue of a bear, taller than he was. At first he liked the bear... but then he was scared of the bear. We heard about the scary bear much of the way home.

Home is, in fact a wonderful place, especially in the summer. We came home, sorted out a big mess involving our dogsitter, our car and an accident. More on that to come in a future post.
Our vacation ended with a bang, literally, with the 4th of July. We met our friends at the park in Auburn. Liam and Devin played in bouncy houses and pet the animals at the petting zoo. Liam even mustered enough courage to ride a pony, which in the past he was too scared to do. After dinner in our garden with the neighbors, we all went over to Lake Tapps, which is about 10 minutes from our house. The people there set off their own shows, each one trying to outdo the neighbors. Instead of a scripted 30-minute show, we watched a sky filled with patches of exploding color, for around an hour. With the mountain as a backdrop, and plenty of room for three toddlers to roam, I couldn't help but think it was the best possible place.

Liam was enchanted by the "Big, big booms" so much that he didn't want to leave. Driving home, along the perimeter of Lake Tapps, we continued to hear Booms all the way home. Once we were home, we looked out the window of our bedroom, which overlooks Pacific, Milton, and Fife all the way out to the Port of Tacoma. To the distance in the North, we could make out the shadows of the Olympics. All across this vista, we watched the continual carpet of color exploding. Liam called these "tiny booms" and we watched until we fell asleep.

Summer's Arrival

May and June are nearly history, and the blog has remained empty.

In truth, we have all been ridiculously busy. Since mid-May, we've celebrated Zoe's Birthday, Mother's Day, Mommy's birthday, Memorial Day, Father's Day and this week, Family Day, previously known as Mommy & Daddy's Anniversary. We have also celebrated special occasions with others, with a few more later in the summer.

A few of the highlights:
Mother's Day - We went to a park and ate a picnic lunch.

Mommy's Birthday - Mommy & Liam went to the zoo. The flowers were in bloom, and Liam had a conversation with a Walrus named ET, who was hanging out at the front of his enclosure.

WALRUS to LIAM: Pptthhhhhh!
LIAM to WALRUS: Pptthhhhhh!

WALRUS to LIAM: Pptthhhhhh!
LIAM to WALRUS: Pptthhhhhh!

Much to Liam's enjoyment, this exchange continued three or four times.

Memorial Day: Liam's new playhouse! Despite the mortgage crisis, we were able to find a starter starter house for Liam. It fits nicely at the end of our the garden. The Flex Car also got an upgrade... to a PackerMobile.

Liam is too cute these days. He loves to talk and imagine crazy-cool things. For example, we drive by a water tower every day. He lets us know that chickens live in there. Not farm chickens though; they're swimming chickens. (Duh.)

He also still watches the cows on the playground and now and then he pulls a bird from his ear. A froggie lives in our garden (sometimes we hear him). Sometimes Liam stands at his window and talks to the Froggie. At least once, the froggie was serenaded with the Farm Song (Old MacDonald).

Liam has also gotten good at climbing. He likes to tell us when he's "Too High Mommy." That means he's climbed so high that he's afraid to get down on his own.

With the change of seasons comes thunderstorms. Luckily they are rare so close to the mountains. "Liam no like dun-der, boom-boom, like that." He hides in his blanket fort until the weather clears. New irrational fears are common at this age, but at times it gets comical. Daddy took Liam for a hike the other day. As sometimes happens, they encountered a squirrel.... a scary squirrel. Liam was so scared he clung to Daddy. Since then, Liam has also confessed fear of bunnies, especially ones that go hop-hop, like that. It's hard to keep from laughing when woken in the middle of the night to quash the fear of bunnies munching on grass. From time to time we have to tell the cows outside to be quiet. The mooing keeps Liam awake.

Now that Mommy's finally done grading way too many exams and essays, we get to enjoy time together. As mentioned above, Friday marks the 5th celebration of a beautiful day on Orcas Island. It seems only fitting to include Bean in the celebration this year (and every year now that he's old enough.) So for our first Family Day celebration, we're heading out to Lake Chelan. We will take our time getting there, enjoying the mountain views as we drive four hours into the heart of Washington State. We may have lunch in Leavenworth, a German-themed town in the mountains.

We're taking friends with us too. Joya, Suri and Kaylin are going with us. They will hang out with Liam while Mommy and Daddy celebrate 5 years of marriage. Granny and Grandad are treating us to dinner, and what a treat it will be to eat our own food, from our own plates while it is still hot.

Mommy's Super-Secret Name

We were at Red Robin last night. My darling little child figured out my real name, and casually dropped it into conversation. He wanted to sit in the highchair, like his friend Suri, who was with us. Normally, he sits in the booster chair.

mommy: if Liam wants to sit in the highchair, he has to stay still.
liam: ok mommy.

mommy: no moving between the booster and the high chair. pick one, stay there. ok?
liam: ok lisa.


mommy: lisa: did you just call me lisa?
liam: yeah, lisa.

lisa: **nothing, totally speechless**
liam: **super huge grin.**

So I thought it would pass. We get home and he tells daddy about his discovery of mommy's code name.

daddy: what's mommy's name?
liam: um, lisa
daddy: what's daddy's name?
liam: daddy

This morning, he have me a kiss and a hug. Then he repeated "bye-bye ee-ssa" over and over.

My reaction? First, it sounds strange for him to use my super-secret name. Though I suppose it's normal.

Second, he says my name in such a cute way. He can't even say the 'L' in his own name, so calls himself Me-am (me +Liam). Without the 'L' sound, Lisa sounds like ee-ssa. I suppose he might combine Mommy + Lisa and call me Misa.

To use one of Liam's favorite expressions, "No! No! Nuh-uh. Not allowed."

One other item of interest; Red Robin has a life-sized bird mascot who walks around and greets the children on Tuesday nights. Me-am was petrified of the bird. I thought for sure we'd hear about the scary bird, like the scary bunny, for days, if not weeks. So I guess the upside to him figuring out my name is that he has entirely forgotten all about the scary bird.

Welcome Party for Suri.

On Friday, we celebrated a very important day: Suri now has a full-time Mommy and Daddy. She now lives with Joya and Wiley, and the cats. Joya and Suri came to our house so we could celebrate the special event with friends... D and Kaile and Baby Caitlyn (and their parents).

I went to Top to get the cake on Thursday, and the bakery lady spoke only a little English. She must have seen me at the grocery store with Liam before, so she suggested the black and orange Harley Davidson cake up front. "Vroom-vroom," she said, making handle bar motions with her hands. Then she added, "You like no motorcycle?"

"It's for a baby girl." I tried to explain flowers and pink. Why didn't I learn Russian in college?

She showed me the birthday cakes. One was green with an electric guitar. She then said, "Baby? No eat cake." I had to leave and come back the next day.

The regular cake lady was back on Friday and she made a beautiful pink cake with butterflies and flowers.

Liam Mummy Day

A few people have asked what we did for Mother's Day.

Given the general proximity to my birthday, and my true belief that Mother's Day should reflect kindness and respect, not Hallmark cards and lavish gifts, we downplayed Mother's Day.

This year, we started the day by going to church. Liam was really tired, so he wasn't as focused as usual.

--Aside #1--
Lately Liam has been sleeping in shifts: part of the night on his bed, some on the floor of his room or in the hallway, some of the night in Mummy & Daddy's room (either on the floor, on the mattress on the floor, on a pillow, or *gasp* on the dog's bed). I don't know what to do about this. He panics if his bedroom door is closed. I think it's that his bottom molars are breaking through. (I'm brave, and I check the toothy status... Liam has yet to bite me, not even once.) Liam never lets us know when he's in pain, but I'm starting to catch on.

Back to Mother's Day... Liam likes church, though squirming is standard protocol. He sings, mostly random letters of the alphabet, while everyone else sings the hymns. Frequently, he points out the obvious, "Windows!"

This Sunday, he doted affection on Mommy. I received kiss after kiss. He loudly whispered his slurred "Ah-wah-ooh" over and over. I think it was all the talk about Mothers on Mother's Day. He understands a lot now. Despite his sudden interest in Mom, Liam didn't get through the whole service, so towards the end, he visited the nursery for the first time.

After church, he took a nap. When he woke up, we all went for a picnic at a local park where a girls softball competition was winding down. We ate our lunch and Liam played with his soccer ball. Then we went up to Seattle for a trek to the REI store.

When REI has a sale, it's worth the extra drive to get to the Flagship Store downtown. Liam had a blast climbing through all the tents, setup in a small camp village in the middle of the store. In the end we decided to buy a new tent, with hopes of testing it out soon. Lester used to do a lot of camping back in England and Ireland, and New York. Eventually, I'd like to take a trip to Wisconsin and Michigan, driving around Lake Michigan.

--Aside #2--
Last summer Liam and I visited Wisconsin, and I realized how much the state has to offer a young, adventurous family. (Milwaukee's Lakefront, The Dells, Door County, etc.) Then I watched the old movie Somewhere in Time again, and remembered the fun of Mackinac Island (in Michigan) where all transportation is by foot or horse. The only problem with this mythical vacation is hotels: they are hard to come by during the summer, and in most of the tourist areas, they are overpriced and dreadful. Our solution? Camping.

We will probably hold off on this National Lampoon's Cheeseland Adventure until Liam is old enough to really appreciate it (maybe next year). But at least now we have a good tent.

Mother's Day ended the way every good day ends: with all three of us exhausted.

In his two-year-old, "Mine Mentality" Liam decided that "Mommy Day" is for Liam's Mommy only. I tried to explain that everyone had a mommy. To demonstrate this point, we matched up his friends and their mommies.

Who is D's Mommy?
"Shannon," he said.

Who is Suri's Mommy?
"hmmm," he thought, and then figured it out. "Joya Suri Mommy!"

Who is Mommy's Mommy?
"Mommy?" He was confused.
"No, not quite," I said.
"Nana?" He tried again.
"Yep. That was a hard one!"

Who is Daddy's Mummy?
"Hmmm...." Which means he has no idea. He changed the subject.

Two hours later, at bedtime, he figured it out.
"Mummy Mummy Nana. Daddy Mummy Gwanny."
Translation: Mommy's Mommy is Nana. Daddy's Mommy is Granny.

I reminded him that all moms celebrate Mother's Day. I suggested that we wish all of our Mommy friends and Nana and Granny a happy Mother's Day.

"No, Mummy. No. Nu-uh. No Mommy Day Shannon and Gwanny. Liam Mummy Day only," he said, very sure of himself. Then he gave me a hug (on both sides, like he always does) and he gave me a big kiss. Finally, I finished rocking him to sleep.

Two and Tulips

Liam is so very two right now.

He protests everything, even things he wants. He won't share, unless it was his idea first. He loves some of his possessions enough to throw a full-blown, fists clenched, wailing-and-thrashing tantrum if he can't have them (and the possessions he loves change daily).

He doesn't want cereal. "No, no no. No cereal. Toast mommy." (Whining begins.)

"Daddy Jam." Means he wants Marmite... why, I don't know. It looks like British lip balm for coal miners. It tastes like axle grease.

I am not British, so I didn't learn Marmite application in the third grade, so I put it on too thin, or too thick.

"No mommy, more Daddy Jam."

I slather on more Marmite and give it back to Liam.

Liam sees it and wails, "Broken." Now I've put too much on and he won't eat it.

He screams until he realizes he's not getting more toast. Then he quietly asks for cereal. I comply... pour the cereal, then the milk. He digs in, literally. He ignores the spoon and sinks his hand into the milk, where he grabs a mini wheat and shoves it in his mouth. Milk runs everywhere: down his chin, shirt, pants, chair, table floor, dog.

I shouldn't complain too much though; most some of the time he's a sweet, adorable child.

Yesterday was supposed to be the nicer of the two weekend days, so we drove up to Mt. Vernon to see the tulip fields. We went for the first time when Liam was a few months old. We met Joya and Suri for the adventure, seeing as they live pretty close to the area best known for it's tulips. When we went two years ago, parking was free. This time, both lots we tried required $4/car to park, and of course, we hadn't considered this possibility back in the land of ATMs. Between us, we had $4 bucks and change, and two cars to park, so no deal.

We also had screaming children. Liam was upset that Suri was not in his car. Suri was in Joya's car, perhaps just melting down because she was in the car. We needed to let them run around. Luckily we found a little market, got some cash, and found a much better place to see tulips... Tulip Town! (The irony being that Tulip Town has free parking and takes debit card.)

Tulip Town had a beautiful display of red, yellow, orange, white, purple and pink tulips. The flowers are planted in wide rows, with a valley in between each line of flowers, accommodating the passage of a curious two-year-old. The farm also had a barn and pasture of horses, which fascinated and frightened Liam. A tractor circled the field, giving rides to Tulip Town visitors. (Liam especially liked this part.) The tracor bumped along past the kite display, where the wind carried all kinds of bright kites. Despite the rain earlier in the day, the ground was dry and packed. Suffice to say, we had a lovely day.

That was until the ride home. Liam was hungry, tired, bored and we tried something silly: we stopped at a grocery store. In the grocery store, Liam spied a toy that he wanted (a hockey stick just like Devin's). He carried it around the grocery store, and then totally lost his abilty to carry on with life. We didn't buy the hockey stick, and Liam took it personally. He screamed 'ah-key-tik' over and over and whined the whole way home (well, until he fell asleep somewhere in downtown Seattle). It occurred to me that he might have been sad that the fun day was over... or that he was overtired.

Sure enough, he forgot about the whole thing by the time we got home, just after his bedtime. So today we went back to the grocery store where Devin got his, and Liam was so pleased to have a hockey stick just like Devin's. The only problem? Devin's on vacation until next week.

Life is tough for everyone.

Alligator Kisses and Bedtime

Last week the weather was nice, so Liam wore shorts and sandals. We cleaned up the garden; there's no grass in our garden, so it just needed a good spring cleaning. Boys will be boys though. Liam fell and scraped his knees. In effort to make it better with as little drama as possible, we kissed his knees, now known as the garden owies.

Every day since then, he's asked for kisses on his knees. Then he added the tiny speck of an owie on his thumb. Who knows how that happened... and then the imaginary owie on his ear. Each one needed to be kissed before bedtime.

Then one night, Liam knew just how to make Grandpa (who broke his hip better).

"Liam airplane Grandpa's house. Grandpa owie hip. Liam kissies."

Lester now reports that he has an additional bedtime duty. Before Liam will go to sleep, Daddy has to kiss Chomp-chomp's knees. All four, and finding an alligator's knees isn't easy.

Bedtime is usually pretty easy for Liam these days. He likes singing.
"ABC song first, Mommy."
I start singing. By the time I get to D, he changes his mind.
"No Mommy, Farm song. Piggie."His tone suggests I've committed a grave mistake.
So I switch, and by the time I get to "Old McDonald had a farm E-I-E-I..."
"No Mommy, Itchy 'pider. No Farm Song."
Then we sing and sign The Itsy Bitsy Spider all the way through.

Afterward, we count to ten. Liam knows how, but for some reason, he really likes 2, 7, 8. Sometimes he also says 17.

me: one
liam: two
me:three
liam: seven, eight
me: four
liam: two, seven, eight
me: five
liam: six
me & liam together: seven, eight, nine, ten.

Fun part is... then we do it again, and he starts:
liam: two
me: two
liam: three
me: three
liam: four
me: four
etc...

If you ask him how many ducks are in the picture, he usually says (you guesed it...): two, seven, eight.

Then once we finish counting, in effort to postpone bedtime, Liam wants to recite the alphabet. He recognizes L for Liam and M for Monkey. I remind him that M also starts Mommy, but he denies the possibility.
"No Mummy, M Monkey, not Mummy."

Finally, I tell him to read books in his bed until he falls asleep. In his perfect world, we would read to him until he fell asleep, but as we have learned, that could take hours. So he reads to himself, sometimes out loud, which is too cute. After ten minutes, he's usually asleep. Some nights take a few trips out of bed, not even to protest really, but to check on us. We turn him around, and tuck him in again. After two or three bouts, he's asleep.

Then when we go in to turn off the light, we find all kinds of contraband under his pillow: cars and airplanes, paper cups and socks.

Amen

When Liam was at church on Easter, he noticed people said 'amen' a lot. He would say it too, a few seconds after the congregation. Very cute. After church, Liam asked about amen, so I explained that praying was talking to God. I suppose I told him that we pray for people who need help. Liam wasn't sure who God was, but he must have figured it out.

Anyway, last night, as Liam was falling asleep, he asked about amen again. He wanted to know what it meant and I reminded him. Liam has been really worried about his great-grandpa, who broke his hip last weekend. So all on his own, last night, Liam said, "God help Grandpa. Amen." he thought for a minute, and then he added, "God help Suri. Amen." (Suri is Liam's friend who is currently waiting to be adopted.)

Liam has been asking to go to church again all week, and I have to admit, he behaved really well for a two-year-old. So the plan is to take him every week, now that he is old enough. I was reminded of sitting through church when I was little, fascinated by the rituals. How did everyone know do everything at the same time? I didn't understand much of what was being said, but I knew it was important.

I think Liam already understands the significance. Amen.

Happy Easter

Yesterday was Easter. Liam had a good weekend, full of friends, fun and treats. He hunted for eggs twice. (Yielding a total of six eggs, five of which contained candy unsuitable for a toddler.) Liam was very happy to see Suri and Joya who came down for a surprise visit. The two of them get along really well. They joined us while we went to another Gymboree play date. Liam has only been to this place once before, but he remembered the routine perfectly. He knew what was coming next, and reminded the teacher, just in case she forgot. :-)

He colored eggs at D's house after the play date, which he enjoyed.

On Easter, we went to church. Liam payed attention and sat still for nearly an hour. After his nap, he hunted for his Easter basket, which he found in the playroom, behind his train. Liam really liked the eggs that hatched into dinosaurs. We had to be careful not to mention the Easter Bunny though.

A few weeks ago, Liam and I were at the mall. Normally I don't take him shopping because he is a menace. However, he needed new shoes, and it's hard to take his feet without him. While strolling the mallway, we came across the 'scary bunny' who I have to admit, looked a little suspicious. He's a six-foot-tall dingy-grey rabbit, waving uncontrollably at little kids, wearing a jacket and hat, but no pants. Liam wrapped himself behind my legs and started shaking. I've only seem Liam really visibly scared of three things previously: a construction backhoe, the ocean and Santa. Add mister bunny to the top of the list. Weeks after our quick encounter with the rabbit, this topic is now taboo. If we don't mention the bunny, Liam doesn't panic. He likely thinks the basket was delivered by UPS. Fine with us.

We all enjoyed a nice Easter dinner with our friends, Matt & Mel and their two-week old daughter. (Like us, they are holiday orphans, with family in other parts of the world.)

It was a quiet, laid back kind of holiday. Perfect.

Our little gymnast

Saturday, Liam tumbled at his morning class and then we went for a playdate at Gymboree. It sounds excessive; ok, maybe it is. But he really likes his tumbling class. Liam and Daddy go while Mommy's teaching on Saturday mornings. There is a slide and a balance beam, and Liam's favorite, the foam pit. From what I understand, Liam likes to crawl around in the giant pool of foam blocks. At the end of class, they sing a song: One Baby Elephant went out to play/ over the hills and far away/ he had such enormous fun/ he called another elephant to come/ OH ELEPHANT!

In the evening, we went to Gymboree for the first time. If you are not familiar with the concept, Gymboree is a small brightly-colored gym set up with mats and slides, tunnels, bridges, etc. Some mommies pay for a monthly membership, but we do the gymnastics and swimming instead. It was nice for all three of us to go together. Liam really liked the structured format. It's nice to go once and a while, to let him play with the neighborhood kids in a productive way. We dropped in for $5. It was totally worth it.

Liam is also getting back into the swimming routine. We took a break due to Liam's ear tubes. But since Florida, he has wanted to go again. The best time to go is right after school. Liam jumps into the water (with help) and he kicks, blows bubbles and floats (reluctantly, with lots of help). Going to the gym, or swim class or anything is lots of work. It's worth it though, because he learns to do something new, and when he's proud of himself, his smile tells it all.

A busy day.

Today we had adventures. Mel had us over for a yummy German lunch. She's scheduled to have the baby on the 25th, and Liam is growing more excited by the day. He keeps saying, "Mel, baby, soon?"

You will have a new friend very soon, Liam.

We also visited another friend today... Suri. Liam went to Suri's house, and we played with a lot of toys he recognized. We also went for a walk around Suri's neighborhood. On the way home, he fell asleep in the car (and in fact is still sleeping). Even in his sleep though, he said, "Suri, Liam friend."

Too cute.

I was thinking about how we learn language. Liam uses mostly nouns, modifiers and verbs. Nouns are simple, verbs frequently in -ing form. He's getting pronouns and prepositions, but they are tricky. He rarely uses articles or prepositions, and they seem to be the hardest to learn. Perhaps it has to do with the way we learn language... pronouns and prepositions have complex, unexplained rules (ask any adult what a nominative case pronoun is, and they have no idea). Only with lots of practice and time, do we understand these rules.

Liam really is my very own experimental student when it comes to language. I think we must forget our first few years because we must be so confused during that time. I imagine going to Uruguay or Botswana, and not knowing a word of the language. To worsen the situation, everyone I know does know the language and they act like I do too. When I don't know a word, they tell me and expect me to remember and use the word properly in the future. Simply through context and some coaching, we memorize the use and meaning of every word used in daily conversation. It's amazing, really.

Monkey Party!

Happy Birthday Liam!

Yesterday Liam's friends came over for a party. A few of Liam's friends came over for cake and monkey fun. What is monkey fun? Start with five toddlers. Add sugar and spice. Then teach them to say 'monkey'. Shake it all up, and voila, a monkey party!

Liam loves the book Go Dog Go which is a psychedelic look at canine lifestyles of the rich and famous. At the end of this book, the dogs all race to the big tree, where a dog party is in full swing. So when I explained the concept of birthday party to Liam, he asked for a dog party. Knowing it would be hard to match the extravagance of the tree-top party, I found a similar theme: monkeys.

We made the choo-choo cake ourselves. Clearly the cake was the best part of the party. I explained how to blow out the number two candle (used by both Thomas and Amy for their 2nd birthdays!) and he did it by himself on the second try.

The defining attitude of the day was Liam's laid-back approach to opening presents. He'd open one and want to read it or play with it right away. It took a long time to get through the pile. In fact he was still opening gifts the next day.

At the end of his birthday, I asked what he liked best. "Bear present."

I thought and thought, but didn't remember a bear present. Shannon found a birthday card that roared like a bear. The card had a joke in it about not having to outrun the bear, only your friend. Devin picked out the card (so she says) and Liam couldn't put it down. He thought the best part of the day was the card that roared like a bear. Next year we will have to keep that in mind...

Monkey Party Preparation

Liam,

Mommy and Daddy are getting ready for your monkey party tomorrow...

Liam's Haircut

Yesterday Liam went to visit the lady who cuts his hair. She did a great job.

One More Month

A month from now, Liam will be two. When he was born, I remember thinking it felt like eons would pass before he was old enough to talk, feed and play by himself. Yet now we're here. Words germinate daily. I suppose some kids learn a new word and add it a little at a time. Liam responds to new words like a scientist responds to a new discovery. He uses it right away, tells everyone about it, as if to make sure it's real.

This morning, I asked about the cows, as usual. Today the cows are on a choo-choo, going to Nana's house. So tonight, if he remembers, we might have to call the cows on the phone.

He also told me that the cows like to golf. "Liam golf."

"With the cows?" I asked.

"Nooooo. No. Nooooo. Liam golf D. School."

He also tells us what he wants to eat (usually toast with jam, fruit or yogurt and milk). Meals are pretty easy, but it's a combination of us learning what tricks work, and him learning to be independent. Yesterday Liam saw a sample of sausage at the grocery store. He asked with please, so the lady gave him a chicken and apple sausage, which he devoured. Then he asked 'more please' with his adorable smile. She gave him another, to which he responded, "thank you". She thought he was so polite that she gave Liam a third piece of sausage. At that point, I HAD to buy some. As a result, Liam has a new favorite food.

Liam will be a tried-and-true toddler in a little less than a month. I would argue that he's already there.

Another Ear Infection

We thought the tubes were a miracle; no more infections. Well, we were infection free from October-January, which is the longest he's every gone. However, the glee is short lived. His right ear started draining over the weekend, which is a telltale sign of an infection I guess. The tubes are still in place and working fine. His left ear looks great, which may be thanks to the tube.

Luckily we can use drops now (plus the oral antibiotic) to fight the infection.

On January 26th, Liam weighed 29.5 pounds. He stood on the big boy scale at the doctor for the first time.

More Conversations

Liam is still tending his flock of cows. They apparently live in the park in front of our house. They eat a lot, and swing. I mentioned this to Liam yesterday. I asked if all the swinging gives the cows indigestion. He tried to say indigestion. So now when I ask, most of the time the cows are still on the swings and eating. If they aren't on the swings they are on the slide. If they are on the slide they are not eating. Why not?

Cows full.

With total clarity, Liam recalled our trip to the pumpkin farm today. We were looking at a photo of Liam with the pumpkins.

He said "Liam pumpkins."

"At the farm," I told him.

"Train farm," referring to Remlinger Farm, where we went in October.

"Yes, what else was at the train farm?"

"Car. Drive Car, Liam."

(He drove a car along a track at the farm.)

"What else?"

"D. Shannon. Brian. Mommy. Daddy. Liam. Train. Car. Fun."

I know what you're thinking, but we don't have photos of all of us there. We haven't talked about it, nor have we been there since. He simply remembered all of it like a snapshot. Amazing.

Yesterday we had another amazing conversation. I've been teaching him to say President Obama. On Tuesday I explained the whole Inaugural Process and the President's job duties on the way to school. We practiced saying President Obama a few times. I really didn't think he was paying attention. Yesterday, the radio was on and NPR played a clip of Obama saying something random. From the back seat, without provocation, Liam said Pedident 'Bama. Amazing.

New President and Conversation

Today is Inauguration Day, so we now have a new President. The first President Liam will know is President Obama. I remember learning about President Reagan in first grade. On Inauguration Day, we went to church and prayed for him to lead the country well. We did not know about what was going on in the world. Years later, I learned what happened on Inauguration Day 1981, when hostages were released. Perhaps my fondness of Reagan comes from my early understanding of the President's leadership; knowledge that the country's leader sets things right. I hope Liam learns this about our new President when he goes to school. Today we started; Liam and I practiced saying President Obama. Pededomama.

On a much lighter subject, Liam and I have had a few conversations. These are the first, where we talk about one topic for a few minutes, all on one topic. The first was about a butterfly at the museum. We were in the butterfly room at the Pacific Science Center when a butterfly grazed Liam's cheek. Not wanting him to be startled, I told him the butterfly kissed his cheek. He was unconvinced.

Later that night, as Liam was going to sleep, he said out of the blue, "Mama, butterfly." He pointed to his cheek and said kiss. I confirmed what he said and asked if it was nice. He agreed that it was nice. Then he thought for a minute. "Nice butterfly kiss. Scary." I asked if he was scared of the butterfly and he agreed. I could tell he was thinking about the conflict between liking the butterfly landing on him, and yet being startled by it coming at him so suddenly.

All those months I wondered about his thoughts. What's this little guy thinking about? Now I know.

The same night, just before bed, Liam was so excited, staring out the front bedroom window. I went over and asked him what was out there. We looked at the dark playground, swings blowing in the wind a little.

"Cows."

"You see cows?" I asked him. "Where?"

"Swings."

"You see cows on the swings?

"Yep."

I asked, not sure why, "What are the cows doing?"

"Eating."

So we have invisible cows on the swings, eating.

It gets better. He now has to check on the cows frequently.

Yesterday I asked if the cows were still on the swings. "NO mama, no cows."

"The cows are gone?" I asked.

"Cows sleeping."

Back to School

Liam is really cute these days. Though don't get me wrong, he has his moments.

He went back to school on Monday. His teacher, Mrs. Ally was very happy to see him. He was supposed to start in the two-year-old room, but he's not happy there yet. So he goes back to Mrs. Ally's room for most of the day. Devin is at home -- he's not feeling well. I hear he has pinkeye and a sinus infection. We're keeping our distance.

Since we have been home, we have started watching the old Pink Panther cartoons. They each last about 6 minutes, which is the perfect length for Liam. I don't know if he gets all of the humor (some of it is absurd, which he laughs at) but he LOVES watching "Pink" as he calls it.

Liam also now counts. He likes to count steps, up to four. We are convinced that he understands numbers, but I know children can't usually do this until after two. He also has a thousand words; some are big words for a little boy. He puts them together in Liam sentences: out cold in hot (means he wants a jacket or he wants to go inside), car mama drive no Liam (which means he wants to drive the car instead of me). He learns a new word every day. Sometimes he even uses the new word correctly. So yesterday's word was crash. As we drove by the trains along C street, he asked if trains crash. Then later, watching Pink Panther, he saw a crash and used the right word.

He also has new friends. Big Penguin arrived as a Christmas gift from Devin. This bird is as big as Liam, but it goes everywhere with him. He 'teaches' Big Penguin about trains and outside and the dog. Zoe sat on the floor ripping the head off her stuffed duck, which was her Christmas present. Liam sat beside Big Penguin, at a distance from Zoe, instructing Big Penguin: 'no, no, No, NO Dog'.

As mentioned, we're going through a stage where he's so cute most of the time. But he's starting to test the boundaries. At the grocery store, he neither wants to walk or ride in the cart. He'd prefer to ride on the front, which he can't do for very long. So then he falls off and gets run over. Obviously, he doesn't like that for very long either. It's a challenge.

We also struggle with bedtime. He won't sleep in the crib, won't even look at it. But there's too much freedom with the toddler bed. He's like a jack-in-the box; up every ten seconds, standing at the door, like maybe we changed our minds and now we WANT to play with him for a few more hours. I know these are good problems to have, but still, it balances the wonderfulness of the almost two stage.

More soon, as always.

From Sand to Snow

Yesterday was our first day home. Liam woke up at 3AM, which was only three hours after he went to sleep. And once he saw that it was snowing, there was no getting him back to bed! We waited until the sun came up before we stepped onto the porch. The falling snow was so pretty. It reminded me so much of the places I lived before where a heavy snowfall was only remarkable if school was closed, or if it happened in June. Liam waited patiently until 8:30, when it was late enough to call next door to see if we could borrow Devin's snow pants. But when when we finally went over to get the snow pants, Liam gave up on playing the snow; playing at D's house was much better.

After a while, we took both boys outside to build a snowman. The grownups did the work, but luckily Brian and I are both snow experts, having grown up in the midwest. Lester said he was used to smaller snowmen with only two segments. Shannon admitted she didn't really know where to start, having grown up here. But Liam and Devin were somewhat amused with the snowman, once he had a face and hat.

Liam is now totally confused about sand and snow. He interchanges the words, and he acts the same in both contexts. In sand, he was always trying to brush it from his feet. He was scared to walk on it at first, and he wouldn't touch it for an even longer time. He behaved the same with snow, except for being bundled up instead of stripped down. We played in the sand on Wednesday and in the snow on Friday. Tough life I guess.

It's good to be home, though waking up at 3am is tedious. I feel like the day is half over by the time the sun comes up. Liam made the time switch so quickly in Florida. It was like he has an internal clock that wakes him at 6:10 am every day, regardless of time zone. Anyway, I better get to unpacking. Photos soon.