Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Liam is Twelve Weeks Old!

Dear Liam,
You are 12 weeks old today. I can hardly believe how fast these past 84 days have passed. 85 days ago we were a family of three-- Mommy and Daddy were sitting in Barnes and Noble, pouring over baby name books and anxiously awaiting your arrival, as Will played at the train table. Now we're a fabulous foursome and your mommy, daddy, and big brother couldn't be any happier.
Physically, you're growing bigger and bigger everyday. You've graduated to the 'size 2' diapers and you are quickly outgrowing your '3-month' outfits. While last month you were only drinking 4 ounces of formula every 2 hours, you're now drinking 5 - 6 ounces every 3 hours. You are, in your mommy's opinion, a perfectly pink, precious and adorable baby.
Your movements are becoming less reflexive and more and more intentional. You still throw out your arms if you feel as if you're falling or if you hear a loud noise (this is pretty often with your big brother around). Your neck is getting stronger and with each day that you lay on your tummy, you can hold your head up for longer and longer periods of time. When awake, your hands are always tightly clenched and you are always kicking your legs. You've mastered the act of bringing your hands to your mouth and you seem to love sucking on your fists.
You've become much more responsive to people's facial expressions and you can easily track objects that move in front of you. You can see people and objects at a far greater distance than last month and instead of staring into the distance, you seem to watch the television or gaze intently at pictures or toys. You smile at the sound of mommy or daddy's voice and you've begun to babble and make certain noises when you are happy or excited-- not laughter just yet, but that's just around the corner.
You love to lay on your back and gaze up at your mobile or hanging toys. You sleep soundly on daddy's chest and you like to watch Will play and dance. You finally seem to be enjoying our daily outings. When we take walks to Will's school or go shopping, you are alert and you seem to soak everything in-- the breeze, the smells, the sounds and the sights. You enjoy warm baths and being bounced around the house until mommy's back hurts. You like to take your time when you eat and you're very patient during the night when you wake up to be fed-- instead of screaming or crying, you tend to whine or whimper. You have a gorgeous smile that lights up the room and a cute dimple on your right cheek. I wish that I could capture that smile in pictures more often, but as soon as you see the camera you gaze intensely and inquisitively at it. You have an incredibly strong grip and you love to squeeze people's fingers and daddy's chest hair (...which makes me laugh and laugh).
You are a wonderful baby and mommy, daddy and Will 'love you alot'.
We can't wait to see what the next month will bring.
Love,
Mommy

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Highlights from the Weekend

As planned (believe it or not), we had a much quieter weekend.  On Friday, we went to the Haunted Woods (again!)-- only this time we brought Liam (thanks to the kick-ass baby carrier that Marian loaned us!).  This Saturday was Will's first soccer class (hockey ended last week).  He had a great time and he's already looking forward to next week.  On Sunday, we did the usual swim class and then we were headed to Great Adventure for FrightFest.  In between all this, we had a lot of fun moments at home which included...
1) Flipping through the music channels with Will and talking about the different types of music.  After I explained the "blues" to Will, he asked me about the "reds".  On the "90's" channel, "Losing my Religion" came on and we all danced like Michael Stipe in the REM video.  Classic.
2) Playing "Max & Ruby" on the trampoline.  Ruby (Mom) rakes the leaves into a pile and Max (Will) jumps into them, messing up the pile and shouting "JUMP!" in that annoying Max voice.  (The only people that will truly understand this are parents of children under 5.)
3) Talking to Will about an argument he had with one of his friends on the playground.  I'm not sure what the argument was about, but Will was emphatic about what he said:  "I'm going to eat you for my dinner, bad boy.  Leave my feelings alone."
4) Hanging with Liam, who's getting bigger by the second.  When fed between 11 - 12 at night, he'll sleep until about 4:30 am, which is a definite improvement from the 'eating every 2 - 3 hours' schedule that he was following just weeks ago.  Below is a video of Liam from Saturday morning (about 5 am).  He's freshly fed and changed, and the lights are all off in our living room.  At the time I was thinking, "Go to sleep, go to sleep..."  But when I saw that wasn't happening, I set the laptop on the couch next to him and used the iSight to shoot the video. 

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Mom's Birthday Cake

(Yes, that's a snowman.)

Waaaaaahhh...

This is what happens when you beat your 3-year-old at "Hide & Seek".

Liam's Bath Time

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Three R's of Will's Class Trip

Realization
About two weeks ago, Will's school announced a class trip to a nearby farm for a hay ride and pumpkin picking. Parents were invited, but not required to attend.  I decided to let Will go on his own... thinking this would be a good experience, one that would serve his sense of independence.  
Then, about one week ago, Will came to the realization that I wasn't going.  He broke into tears and insisted that I come along.  Being a teacher of adolescents, I know just how fleeting this sentiment is.  (In a few years, he'll probably be begging me not to come.)  So, I decided to go along.
Reproach
As we arrived at school, Will's friends (Christos and Russell) were sitting on the carpet.  Will joined them immediately and the following conversation ensued regarding the seating arrangement for the school bus:
Christos:   (teasing) I'm sitting with Russell.
Will: (whining) I want to sit with Russell.
Christos: (super-whining) No, I want to sit with Russell.
Russell seemed to be ignoring them.  At this point, I decided to interject some humor to diffuse the situation.  
Me: (giving Russ a squeeze and a smile, exaggerated whine) No, I'm sitting with Russell.
I didn't get a chance to gauge their response.  I hadn't noticed Will's teacher, who had been standing behind me and listening to our conversation.
Teacher:  (annoyed) Boys... Let's not worry about who we're sitting with.  We're all friends in this class.
D'oh (Homer Simpson)... I felt like such an idiot.  
Revelry
Overall (if we omit the part where I lost my kid in the corn maze), the trip was a great success.  The kids had an awesome time and I got the opportunity to meet some other great moms.  
By the way... guess who got to sit next to Russell.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Love, Hate, Boogies and Pee-Pees

As per our usual Tuesdays, Will and I were headed to the park today as my mom watched Liam.  It was a perfect Autumn day... which brings me to today's post...
Three Things I Love about the Fall:
1)  The foliage... orange, red, brown and yelow... my favorite colors.
2)  The weather... not too hot, not too cold.
3)  Halloween and Thanksgiving... my favorite holidays.
Three Things I Hate about the Fall:
1)  Fantasy Football... thanks Tom.
2)  The shorter days... starting to get dark at 6pm... (glad I'm home this year to enjoy the day).
3)  Will's season-long runny nose... gross.
As we were leaving the park today and heading to the car, I reminded Will to hold my hand.  Fidgeting in my bag with one hand to find my keys, I was half-paying attention as he slipped his slimy palm into my hand.  I paused, knowing instantly but asking anyway...
"Will... Ewww gross, is that boogies?"  (Yes, we say 'boogies'.)
"No mom, it's glue, and now we're stuck together."
Got to love the imagination of a 3-year old.  By the way, in the picture at left... That's not a drain...  it's "The Jail for the Bad-Guy Transformers".  
As we pulled into my mom's driveway, I asked Will if he had to go potty...
"Mom (insert long, labored sigh)... Transformers don't go pee-pees (yes, we also say 'pee-pees')... they're robots."
So... to summarize... Transformers... yes to 'boogies'... no to 'pee-pees' ... super.
And to those who read last Tuesday's post... as promised, 166.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Weekend Update

Another busy weekend.
We did the usual... hockey and swimming.  And then there was Katelyn's birthday party, apple picking, a soap-box derby and our annual visit to the "Spooky Woods" (which is actually called the Haunted Woods... but Will renamed it).  
As Will was having a 'melt-down' in Friendly's today, Bill and I came to the conclusion that our weekends (and weekdays for that matter) have been a little too busy.  So, our goal for the next couple of weeks is to get Will back on a schedule and plan a little more 'down time'.
Below are some photos from the last couple of days:
"The Haunted Woods" is an annual event that takes place in Old Bridge.  It's run by a few local Girl Scout troops and the proceeds are donated to a local food pantry.  It's basically a short (15 minutes) "haunted" walking trail... but it's not too scary for kids.  The price for admission is just a donation of canned goods.  If anyone is interested in meeting up, we're planning on going again next Friday.  Here's the link:  http://www.haunted-woods.com/

Friday, October 17, 2008

Ghost Stories

For the last few months, Will has been obsessed with all things 'spooky'.  The books that we borrow from the library, the movies/tv that we watch, the pretend games we play... it all has to have this element of 'spookiness'.  
So tonight, we lit a fire in the backyard, toasted marshmallows and took turns telling ghost stories.  Bill had the idea to attach fishing line to a couple of items in the backyard.  As he was telling his story, he pulled on the lines to make various objects 'move'.  The look on Will's face was priceless. 

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and so on...

The Good... 
Had a playdate today.  Kenny and Julia came over to play with Will, and the kids had a great time.  Despite the chaos and clamor, it was so nice to catch up with Caryn and to watch the kids enjoy themselves.  (Note to self:  All future playdates MUST begin with outdoor playtime so that kids can burn off as much energy as possible.  As for the next playdate, be sure to reschedule lawn maintenance guy.  As for the next house, be sure to get a finished basement.)
The Bad...
Caryn brought the most delicious chocolate chip cookies.  If you read my post 2 days ago, you can guess what happened.  (Note to self: Quit eating cookies, dumbass.)
The Ugly...
Got home from SAT class at about 10 pm.  Headed directly upstairs to clear my cookie-laden conscience by doing the old Pilates DVD.  I haven't worked out in almost 1 year and I'm 10-weeks post caesarian delivery... ugly does not begin to describe tonight's 'workout'.  (Note to self: This will get easier...hopefully.)
...and back to The Good...
Checked on Will and then came downstairs to find Bill and Liam fast asleep on the couch.  Took a bunch of photos and then took a moment to remember how lucky I am.  Exhausted and chubby, but thankful.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Peer Pressure at Nursery School?

Will has been talking about Halloween for the past six months.  He probably decided on his costume back in May.  A scarecrow... particularly the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.  He spent hours "surfing the net", looking for just the right costume.  He showed us how he was going to "dance" clumsily down the street as he Trick-or-Treated.  He had it all planned out-- including his entourage.  Mom was going to be Dorothy, Dad was going to be the Tin Man and Liam, at first, was going to be the Lion, but then Will decided that he'd make a much more convincing "Toto".  
And then... October arrived.  At nursery school, the crafts and stories and decor started focusing more and more on Halloween.  On the playground, Halloween costumes became a major topic of discussion.  Will's friends were announcing their choices for costumes... Spiderman, Superman, IronMan, Batman...  They were running around on the playground, playing "good guys" vs "bad guys" and shooting their pretend guns at their pretend villains.  Suddenly, that scarecrow costume didn't seem so appealing.
About a week ago, on our walk home from school, will announced his new costume choice....
The Transformer they call "Optimus Prime".  This was completely out of the blue.  Will has seen about 10  minutes of the movie with his dad and a couple of the old school cartoon episodes on YouTube.  He calls the "Autobots" the "Acrobats".  The only things he knows for sure is that 1) He's a 'good guy', and 2) He's got a big, loud gun attached to his arm.  
Personally, I prefer that scarecrow costume.  But then again, I'm not a 3-year-old boy.  On the upside, I'm off the hook when it comes to wearing that blue gingham Dorothy dress.  Whew.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Bottoming Out

I have hit bottom.  I am writing this semi-publicly in an effort to inspire myself.  So here goes...
Last night, I got home from tutoring at about 9:15.  I found this plate of cookies on the counter.  Will and Bill had made them.  There were 24 cookies in the bag and there are 17 in this picture.  (The guys must have eaten 3, because I ate 4 before I took the picture.)  This morning... and yes, I'm serious... there was one,  just one pathetic cookie left on the plate.  Let's do the math people.  That's 21 cookies.  In all fairness, I think Bill ate a couple more once I got home.  But whether we're talking 17 or 18 or 19 cookies, this is really bad.  
For the past two weeks, I've tried to get on the wagon.  Egg whites and an English muffin for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch.... but then, around 2 pm or so, it all turns to crap.  Much of this is due to the fact that I'm exhausted and getting about four hours of sleep each night. But seriously, I've got to get a grip.  I'm 10 weeks post-baby and the pounds are no longer magically disappearing.
So now I'm going to do something really drastic.  I'm posting my weight... and will continue to post each week until I can get into my pre-baby jeans.  172.  (If this doesn't work, I'll start posting pictures... then you'll all be running scared.)  And now I'm off to make my egg whites and think of a way to explain the missing cookies to my three-year-old.   

Monday, October 13, 2008

Mr. Independent

In the last few weeks, Will has become more and more adamant about doing things for himself... pouring his own milk, making his own waffles, putting on his own seat belt, washing the dishes, pushing his baby brother's stroller. This has required quite a bit of patience on my part.  If we're pressed for time, particularly in the morning, I have to make sure that Will feels as if he's doing most things for himself.  If I 'take over', in an effort to speed things up, the whole thing backfires and there's a complete meltdown... not only slowing things down, but bringing things to a complete standstill.  So on the upside, before too long, he'll be dressing himself, brushing his own teeth, and helping around the house by performing some simple tasks.  On the downside, I have to leave plenty of extra time for things that used to be simple and quick and I'm completely paranoid about Will being in the kitchen by himself for even the smallest amount of time.  Suppose I'm feeding the baby in the living room and Will wanders into the kitchen... I hear a chair being pushed across the floor, cabinets opening and closing, the refrigerator door slamming... "Honey...what are you doing?  Come in here..."  "Mommy... I'm just making something..."  So I'm headed to the kitchen to make sure nothing inappropriate is going into the toaster.  It's amazing how 'mobile' I am while feeding Liam.  With Will, I used to sit in one spot for the entire feeding.  With Liam, I'm holding him in one arm, propping the bottle with my chin and using my other arm to help or do something for Will.  Amazingly enough, with all the movement and craziness, Liam spits up way less than Will did.  Go figure.
Speaking of Liam... he's becoming increasingly awake and alert. He's focusing much better on the people and things around him. He's lifting his head more and more often and for longer periods of time. He's already beginning to lose that 'newborn' look.  
Before you know it, he'll be teaming up with is big brother, to "make something" in the kitchen.

Long Weeked, Short Post

I tried, in vain, to write this post last night.  I could barely stay awake long enough to turn the computer on, let alone write a post.  We had a great (and busy) weekend.  Bill and Will had another hockey session at the park, we had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's, Will had his Sunday swim lesson, we went to a farm and helped Pop Pop pick out chickens for his backyard, and we went to Frightfest at Great Adventure.  It's now Monday morning, 7:15.  Liam is dozing in and out of sleep and he'll be crying for a bottle any minute.  Will, upstairs in bed, will soon be calling for me to come up and help him go "potty", get dressed, etc.  And I am staring at my coffee pot, wondering if I have enough time to drink a hot cup of coffee.  (Usually the coffee gets poured, I get a couple of sips, the kids wake up and I drink it cold an hour or so later.)  So rather than include the details of all that we did this weekend, I'll just include a bunch of pictures.