Taking a Stand

Early to mid November

Many people have asked why there hasn't been a Blog in a few weeks. The truth is that I'm working an awful lot... but with some reprieve in sight. I have a few days off for Thanksgiving, and then a few weeks for Christmas. Starting in January, I only teach in the evenings. But for right now, I teach a little too much.

Liam doesn't mind though. He loves going to school. When we get there, he wants to play right away, and they say he never cries. Or at least not while he's there. Often he's sad that he has to leave, and he cries when we get in the car to go home. It doesn't last long though; he's usually so tired that he zonks out before we get home. The photo is of Liam finger painting at school.

He really likes playing with the other babies, and there's one little guy, a little older than Liam, who he really gets along with. I think he also likes the daily routine. We're glad he's happy going to nursery school.


The last weeks have been a bit of a blur. There's one notable milestone: Liam can stand up now. One morning I went to his room, and there he was, grasping the crib rail with his baby death-grip. He sways and bounces, all while standing. Most of the time he remembers that he can sit, but he likes standing so much that he wants to stand even when he's too tired to hang on.

He can pull himself up on almost anything these days. Pants legs, furniture, Zoe... it's amazing how much strength he has.

Liam's also learning a lot about gravity. We give him little bits of food (puffed cereal, dried fruit, etc.) to give him practice picking things up. He bangs on the high chair tray and they bounce off. Zoe's learned that if she sits under the chair, she gets a shower of treats.

We're gearing up for Christmas by staying home for Turkey Day. Liam and I will watch the Packers Thursday morning, but other than that, we have no plans. Bean's a little too young for Turkey and all the trimmings. Maybe next year.

Nov. 4-7: Waahhhh -- I miss Daddy

[Bean is now old enough to write some from his own perspective.]

Daddy is out of town this week. Mommy said he's in a place called Las Vegas. She said it's a playground for grown-ups. I wonder if they have a slide there. Daddy is very busy at a conference, but maybe he will get a chance to find the slide and go down it a few times.

I go to school now. There are toys and other kids to play with. I'm getting better about taking naps there. It's hard to sleep when the lights are on, but I try sometimes.

Daddy comes home tomorrow. That's a good thing. I miss him lots. But there are many other people I miss too -- like the ones I love who live far away. Like Thomas and Amy and Granny and Nana. It's a good thing Mommy and Daddy don't live far away, or Zoe would have to take care of me. She means well, but I don't think she knows which blankie I like best.

Come home soon Daddy.

Oct 31 - Nov 1 Bean's Halloween

Liam is 8 months old today. He survived his first trick-or-treat. We only went to a handful of houses -- Andrea and Byron's, Mike and Erica's, Shannon's and Shannon's Neighbor. So what was Bean for Halloween? You guessed it... a penguin! He was very cute.

He's also doing really well at day care. He doesn't cry when he's there at all. It's not all rosey though; he doesn't nap either. But we're working on it...

10/12 - 10/24 Thomas & Amy's visit

A Day in Seattle

A Day in Seattle

An Early Halloween Party

An Early Hallowen Party

Boot Scoot and Boogie

Bean crawled today. Not sure if this is the first time he's crawled, or if this is the first time he's let anyone see him do it. It's kind of a rudimentary form: arms stretch forward, feet mash against the floor, and legs, in tandem, drag forward. He crawled all over the play room, so much that Thomas decided Liam now needs the pillow blockade we use for Carter.

Yesterday we went to see the snow. That's what you do in the Pacific NW... you go to the snow when you want to play in it. So we drove to Mt. Rainier, where it was gently snowing. We had a snowball fight -- Cara joined us on this adventure -- and snow was flying everywhere. Liam was the warmest of all. He was in a fleece snowsuit, in the baby carrier on my front, inside my zipped down jacket. He was so cozy that he fell asleep despite the conditions: howling wind and freezing temperatures. Thomas saved a snowball in the cooler, which we now have stored in the freezer. I wonder if it will last as long as the wedding cake.

On Wednesday, we went swimming at the brand new Federal Way Community Center. Liam is getting really good at pulling his legs back to swim. He paddles with his hands and kicks with his legs. He really enjoyed going down the slides with T & A,

We've overcome another bit of a crisis this week too... Krysti let us know that she's starting a new FT job with a job placement company. It's where she worked before she had Carter. They made her a fantastic offer, so next week will be her last week with Liam. The following week, Liam will start day care. (Krysti and Carter moved to a new apartment just before TTL&A arrived from England.)

We debated hiring a new nanny, but we really only need someone for two months. Then my teaching schedule moves entirely into evening courses for two months... and after that, Liam's a year old. (Can't believe it!) Our goal was to keep him out of day care until he was a year old, but we couldn't find a way to do that. We're lucky we've had him home this long. I really think it's made a big difference too; Liam sat up early and rolled over ahead of schedule. He now eats a little "real" food every day -- he likes pear and peach Yo Baby (yogurt) the best. He can wave on demand (that's all Krysti's doing) but he also knows to wave goodbye all on his own. And now, as of today, he's crawling. Plus, he's a joy to be around. Thank you Krysti for everything.

So today we are off to Seattle for a day in the city. More soon.

On October 15th Liam weighed 19 pounds.

Trip to the snow

October 14: To the Power of Seven

Trevor, Lynda, Thomas and Amy arrived Friday evening. I'm amazed how much the kids have grown! Amy's a little girl now. Last time we saw her, she was a baby!

The cousins have a great time together. Bean gets a lot of attention -- he's never without a lap to sit in these days. Amy especially likes playing with him.

Yesterday was a quiet day getting used to the neighborhood (and time zone). We walked to the grocery store, and the local park. At the end of the day, we drove to Dash Point State Park to see Puget Sound.

Today we went to the pumpkin farm, where there were many adventures: a giant corn maze, a cow train, pig races... and pumpkins of course! Our friends Devin (and his parents) met us there too!

I think we are all very tired, but it was a fun weekend.

Liam's ready to crawl any moment now. He's waving... an adaptation of Krysti's 'high five'. And he ate a whole container of Baby Yogurt for dinner last night (in addition to a little chicken, asparagus and broc).

Good stuff.

By the way, a lot has happened this week... the details are forthcoming on Tuesday. This is just a quick update with photos from today's adventures.

Pumpkin Patch

October 3-10: Teething

So Liam's first tooth arrived, and I think the second one is trying to follow on its heels. (Does a tooth have heels?)

Sleep is again a luxury reserved for other families. I suppose it could be worse; Liam sleeps for hours at a time. The problem is that he frequently wakes up in pain, and often nothing works to soothe him. But other than the zombie-like qualities his parents are showing, Bean's in good shape.

Rumor has it that he crawled forward for the first time this weekend, but Lester and I weren't there to see it. There might be some video forthcoming of the momentous event... until then, it's not official. And the rumor was that it was rocking, followed by a tiny movement forward. We'll see.

Liam went to the Crawford family birthday party on Sunday. It gave Lester and I a nice break to get things done. I spent much of the day trying to get a new carseat. Why are all of the employees at Babies R Us incompetent? Liam is nearly too tall for his car seat, so we're getting the next stage. Amy will use it when she's here. Then Liam graduates to the new seat.

T-minus three days until Thomas, Amy, Trevor and Lynda arrive. Don't worry Thomas, yesterday I found Wheatabix at Safeway.