Merry Christmas!

We had a great first Christmas with Liam! Of course, the wee man got spoiled rotten but that's to be expected, right?

Grandma and Grandpa J. came for a three day stay, starting on Christmas Eve. We all shared a Christmas Eve supper (quite literally, you should have seen Liam begging everyone for food - you'd think we never feed the boy!)before setting out treats for Santa and the reindeer. Then we bathed Liam, got him into his special Christmas jammies, and had him in bed in good time so Santa wouldn't have to skip our house. :)

Our little mooch

Treats for Santa - check!

Christmas morning we were all up bright and early thanks to Liam, and had a great time opening gifts. Santa brought Liam a sled, and a Fisher Price "popper" - which is still his favourite new toy. It didn't take long though, before Liam was a bit overwhelmed by all the activity, toys, boxes, and paper. It wasn't until after we had cleaned everything up that he started to realise that he had all sorts of new playthings.

This toy is so cool!

After having a traditional turkey dinner, we all had a little rest before heading over to Liam's Great-Grandma and Grandpa's house for supper with extended family. Unfortunately, Liam was quite crabby as he did not have an afternoon nap, and a strange house full of unfamiliar people did nothing to help the situation. Still, we had a good visit until we had to take our screaming little boy home to bed.

Boxing day we ventured out to the mall to score some great deals - we came home with a new top for me, and shoes, a shirt, and a snowsuit for next winter for Liam. (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) Then we headed out on one last excursion to Auntie Teresa's for Boxing day dinner. Liam got to play with his cousin Max, and recieved yet some more gifts. Again, Liam was less than thrilled about the unfamiliar surroundings so we didn't stay very long. We got home with just enough time for Liam to have a little play before bed.

Do I really have to share my Goldfish with Max?

It was a very busy few days, and we were very glad to have today to stay at home and relax. Liam was very happy too, and took a good long nap this morning to prove it!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful presents, the great food, and most importantly the excellent company!

11 Months

Liam continues to learn more and more every day. He will now stand on his own for very short periods of time (10-15 seconds) and is getting very good at walking and running with his push walker. He has really gotten to be a chatterbox this month - in addition to his baby babble, he constantly says "mama", "dad", "daddy", "num" (for food), and we have even heard a few "key-ey"s (kitty). He has started mimicing us as well. There have been more than a few times that we have had to stop and ask "Did we just hear him say...?" Exciting stuff!! He is also going through a clingy stage at the moment, but Mommy doesn't mind because it makes her feel special! :)

As always, our little man continues to eat anything and everything in sight. The baby food is pretty much gone - every once in a while we give him some just to get rid of the jars in the cupboard. His favourite foods are cheese, peas and carrots mix, and most of all mandarin oranges! Liam will inhale those faster than you can put them on his tray! He is also starting the transition to whole milk - at the rate of one feeding a week. It took the past month to get used to the taste, but now Liam will happily drink a sippy of milk.

Sleep - ha, ha, what's that? We still have a very poor sleeper over here. We are making slow progess, although I hope to have him down to one waking by the end of the month. (We'll see if that actually happens! :) )

All in all though, Liam is doing great. Only one more month before until our baby is one! Yikes!

Liam's holiday decorating tip

Every night before Liam goes to bed we round up all his suckies (he has 4) so we don't have to scramble in the dark looking for one if he wakes up during the night. Well, last night one suckie was missing. We looked all over his bedroom and the living room - we even went through his toy box - and couldn't find it anywhere. We had pretty much given up on it. Well, a few hours later I was ready for bed and I got up to turn off the T.V. - and what do I see, the missing suckie! Where was it you ask.......

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Did you know suckies make great tree ornaments?

Pictures with Santa!

This first picture was done on December 5, by Carol's Photography. We got a 5 X 7 in a frame, and I was really impressed with the quality. (Keep in mind what you see has been scanned) But, what we really wanted was a picture of just Liam with Santa. So...


On December 10 we had Liam's picture taken again - this time at the mall. I am not impressed at all. It is not professional quality, it is just a regular 3 X 5 picture size and you can't even see Santa! And guess how much it cost? $10! Way to much in my opinion for such a crappy product. I KNOW I could have taken a better picture and it would have cost me 23 cents to print the same size at Walmart. Luckily, Derek picked the picture up or they would have gotten a piece of my mind. Actually, they might still - I just haven't made it to the mall yet!

Christmas is on its way!

We had a wonderful "holiday" family day yesterday. In the afternoon we took Liam to get his picture taken with Santa. He cried his little eyes out, so Mommy had to get in some of the pictures with him. The pictures will be ready for pick-up next Saturday, so I'll share them then!

Then in the evening we got all bundled up and went out to watch the Santa Parade. Liam enjoyed looking at all the lights and hearing the music, and he was a real trooper waiting out in the cold. When we came home we all had some hot chocolate. Liam's was mostly milk, but he loved it! Derek had the great idea that next year we should start the tradition of putting up our tree after the parade and make a really festive evening out of it.

Our Christmas preparations are coming along nicely. We have all our presents purchased, which is great. Our tree will probably go up sometime this week (we are wating on a super yard to put around the tree to keep Liam out) and then we just have to wrap those presents and put them under the tree where they belong. Of course, the rest of our Christmas decorations will come out when we put up the tree - where exactly they will go will be another question! I'm not sure how we will keep all of the Christmas things out of Liam's hands!

Here is Liam with his hot chocolate - really, there is hot chocolate in that cup, I swear!

On the move!

Slowly but surely, Liam is getting the hang of pushing and walking behind his walker. He doesn't go very far, but he goes a little further and walks a little better everyday. Usually, Mommy or Daddy have to put him behind the walker to practice, but lately he's been pulling up and taking a try on his own!

Snack Time!

A hand and mouth full of Goldfish and a sippy cup of juice - could life get any better?

10 months

I can't believe it, we are into the double digits...

Now let's see, what is Liam up to? Or should I say what isn't Liam up to? Or maybe, what isn't Liam into? LOL! He is so curious and is into everything -especially what Mommy and Daddy have. Our phone, our remote (he has his own and wants nothing to do with them!)and any cups or plates left sitting out have quickly become his most prized playthings. He also loves to throw and crawl after his ball, and he spends a lot of time rolling roll-a-rounds across the top of the baseboard heaters.

Our little man is becoming more and more mobile every day. He crawls, pulls up, cruises the furniture and has just started to push his push walker with a few wobbly steps. I can't believe how quickly he is learning - it was just a little over a month ago that he started crawling consistently and he is already working on walking!

Liam continues to eat anything and everything he can get his hands on. He now gets about a 50/50 split between table food and baby food everyday. I'm sure he would be more than happy with all table food, but I like the variety he can get by including the baby food. I'm sure he'll be entirely on table food very soon - Mommy and Daddy are working really hard on cooking meals that he can eat too.

Mum-mum and dada still comprise his entire vocabulary, although there have been times when we have thought he has said "ba" for ball. It hasn't happened often enough for us to be sure - but we'll keep you posted!

Now, that dreaded topic of sleep. Liam is a great sleeper during the day and goes down like a champ at night, but still wakes up multiple times during the night. Two to three times is the norm, but sometimes it is more and very seldom is it less. That said, he is better than he used to be and we are working on improving it even more - Mommy will need her sleep when she goes back to work!

I think that pretty much sums it all up. He really is a wonderful little boy - he is so happy and has us laughing and smiling with him each and every day. We are really looking forward to the holidays - they are going to be extra special with Liam around!

Pictures, pictures, pictures

It took nearly 10 months, but we've finally had family pictures taken. I was so excited - both to have a great keepsake, but mostly to have a picture that I'm actually in for a change. In addition to the family photos, we also had some portraits taken of Liam. I have to say, all of our pictures turned out excellent. We had them done at Brandon Photographics and I couldn't be happier. We will definately go there again. I'd love to post the pictures, but I don't want to ruin the surprise! (Did you know that pictures make great Christmas gifts?...)

Now, I can't totally leave you hanging when I know you want to see cute photos of a certain little boy we all know and love. Luckily, I'm more than happy to share the pictures I took during last week's Christmas themed "photo studio" session! They turned out quite well, if I do say so myself!

First Snow!

Well, we had the first snowfall of the season yesterday. Of course, I had to take Liam outside to see how he liked it. As we came out of the house, snowflakes started landing on Liam's face and he just broke out into a huge smile. He was just staring at all the snowflakes falling down with a look of amazement on his face. I took him out into the backyard and he had a great time exploring in the snow. All too soon though, he realised that snow, while pretty, is also wet and cold and that was no fun at all!

9 month checkup

Liam went for his 9 month check-up yesterday afternoon. The little - er, big - guy weighed in at 23 lbs 9 oz. Liam has an ear infection caused by the cold he's been fighting since last week so the doctor prescribed some anitbiotics, but other than that everything looks great!

Hopefully once his ear infection is cleared up Liam will finally start to feel better. The poor boy has an ear infection and the remains of a cold now, he had a cold last week, and the flu the week before that. And to top it all off, he's cutting his third tooth! He's been taking it like a champ, though - surprisingly he hasn't even been all that cranky!

Happy Halloween!

Liam had a blast trick or treating at the neighbours' last night. Once he figured out what was going on, he would get super excited every time we approached a house. It was way too cute!

Look what I can do!

Forget pulling up to his knees - Liam now can pull up right to his feet, and hold on with one hand to boot!

Ukelele baby

Liam's Grandma and Grandpa J. just got back from a trip to Hawaii. Among other things, they brought back a little ukelele for Liam. Now he's just got to learn how to play it!

9 months

At nine months Liam can crawl, pull up to his knees, play pat-a-cake, wave bye, and play peek-a-boo like a pro. He says Mom and Dad and sometimes it seems like he is actually using the words properly. (Although this is probably just wishful thinking on our part!) He's eating all sorts of different foods (baby and table) and he's growing like a weed! Next week we have his 9 month appointment, so we'll see just how big he is then!

More Fall Pictures

Goldfish Attack

The approach:

The capture:

The aftermath:

Curly Top

The more Liam's hair grows, the curlier it gets!

Fall Pictures

I figured it was about time I got Liam into the backyard to take some pictures with the fall leaves!

He's Crawling!

After a few weeks of "He'll get it any day now..." Liam is finally crawling! He still reverts back to his army crawl about 50% of the time, but I'm sure over the next few days he'll use it less and less!

Could this little boy be any cuter??

Funny Face

Oh, the fun to be had with a see-through safety gate...

How fast they grow...

A year ago today we got our first look at Liam's face. Well, we didn't know it was Liam at the time, but it was our baby!

And this little piggy wore a bowl on his head...

A few weeks ago Liam realised that he could make a neat sound if he breathed in and out really quickly through his nose. It quickly morphed into scruching up his face while he breathed in and out. Now, he breathes in and out so hard that he makes little pig grunts! It is the funniest thing I've ever seen and heard - a little pig grunting while making the oddest face - I can't help laughing out loud each and every time he does it!

What a smart boy we have! After 24 hours of playing with a bowl (and us wearing it on our heads to make him laugh) Liam started putting the bowl on his head!


Finally, in other news, we think Liam may be cutting his third tooth because he has been so crabby. I can't feel or see it, but I'm hoping there is a reason for his bad moods! And, I saved the best for last, Liam started giving kisses! Great big open mouthed slobbery kisses! It's so cute, he just grabs my head to pull me down and plants a big one on my face! I have to say, that sure does make a mommy feel pretty special. He's tried to kiss his daddy, but he never follows through. As soon as he feels those whiskers, Liam backs right off!

What's up?

We haven't really been up to much around here. Liam's second tooth finally broke through completely yesterday. It took a few days (and a few rough nights) but he officially has a two-tooth smile now. Liam's also been working on waving bye-bye, but it's kind of hit and miss. Some days he waves like crazy, other days he looks at us waving like we're crazy. He and I have been going swimming again now that the pool is open so it's nice for us to have something different to do.

On Friday Hayden came to play while his mommy and daddy went to an inservice. Can you tell these boys like Baby Einstein videos?

8 Months Old

Only four months until our baby is one year old - yikes!

Liam is a very busy boy; rolling around and army crawling everywhere. If we take our eyes off of him for even a second he is across the room searching for electrical cords or trying to get in the glass of the entertainment centre. He is constantly up on his hands and knees rocking so we are sure he will be crawling very, very soon. If he gets into this much trouble now, what's he going to be like when he's even more mobile?? (LOL) He absolutely loves pat-a-cake and clapping - he claps as he plays, he claps when he eats, he claps when he sees one of us enter the room, he claps when he is going outside...you get the picture. Another of Liam's favourite things is working out in the yard with his daddy. The two of them will stay outside for hours!

As always, Liam continues to be a great eater. He eats 3 jars of baby food plus cereal, yogourt, and finger foods (Cheerios, Goldfish, pieces of cheese and fruit) each day. He absolutely loves eating whatever we are having and will make the most awful racket until we give some to him.

Unfortunately, sleeping continues to be a bit of a problem. He is now very consistent with taking two good naps a day (1 1/2 to 2 hours each), but still doesn't sleep too well at night. He often still wakes up multiple times a night, and always wakes up at least once. We are working on some sleep training with him, but have yet to see any real improvement. Wait, there is one thing - he'll go down for naps and at bedtime by himself (no holding or rocking by Mommy) so I guess that is something!

We've seen so many changes this month - sitting, army crawling, clapping - I wonder what next month will bring!

Fast Cars, Birthday Hats, and a Bear in the Living Room

Just about 8 months old, and already Liam loves "driving" his car. Must be a guy thing...

Liam's cousin Max turned one on Saturday. Yay Max! We went to Max's Baba and Gigi's for a barbeque and of course we had to put hats on the boys. Here are Max and his mom Pam (Derek's cousin) with Derek and Liam.

I don't know, do you think Max had fun??

Isn't he just the cutest bear cub you ever did see?? Liam's all ready for Hallowe'en, and Mommy is very proud because she made the costume herself!

The new couch

Finally, after years of used and ugly furniture we finally have something nice! Our new leather couch and loveseat were delivered on Tuesday night and I LOVE them.

Two new tricks!

On Sunday Liam started crawling! Well it's army crawling, but in my books that still counts. Our little boy is offically mobile!

Yesterday we discovered that Liam can clap! He's always loved playing pat-a-cake and now he can join in all by himself!

Shhhh....

Does anyone else think that the "sideways with head pressed against the slats" sleep position just doesn't look that comfy??

Even on a bad hair day, I'm still the cutest kid!

If you look closely, you can see his tooth!

Here's the tooth!

Okay so it's not the best picture. BUT, if you look closely you can see his little tooth on the right side! This picture is already a week old, but I am having no luck getting a better one. Most of the time when he opens his mouth he covers his tooth with his tongue!

Toothless no more!

Liam's first tooth broke through this morning! Luckily, it hasn't been causing him too much discomfort. I'll post pictures once it is more visible!

Another day at the beach

Yesterday we went on another day trip to Clear Lake as a last hurrah of summer holidays. We did a bit of shopping, but mostly we sat down by the beach. We also took Liam for his first visit to a playground. He absolutely loved the swing and was smiling and laughing the whole time we pushed him. I guess we'll have to find a park with baby swings here in Dauphin!