Vacation

As far as vacations, go, this was the type we always say we're going to enjoy. We "slept in" (until 7), dropped Liam off at daycare for a few hours each day, and spent time together. Mike and I had lunch dates, walked bookstores, and had weekend coffee each morning. Usually we have Folgers during the week and save the good coffee for weekends. This week, every morning was morning coffee day. We enjoyed Liam. Amount of work. As always, I took home an overloaded bookbag and did the minimum amount of school work. I got my lessons finished for the week and got my correcting done. I always have these grand ideas of getting weeks ahead. It never happens.
Yesterday, we took him up to Wright's Dairy Farm. He watched the cows get milked. We bought some fresh milk and a zeppola. He loved the cows.

Today, we woke up to just enough snow to be pretty. Since Liam is a confident walker, it was time to let him play. He didn't really now what to do with it. Chasing Jake was a good way to get in the spirit of playing in the snow.



We spent about an hour outside before he decided it was time to come in and take a nap.

Tomorrow we go back to the real world of setting alarms, making lunches, and going back to work.

Returning the Favor

After I had Liam, Mike bought me a nice camera. It was a "push present," as they are now called. Since Mike is getting his vasectomy tomorrow, it only seemed fair that he gets a gift as well. He is downstairs with Jim playing his new PS3. If he has to sit on the couch with frozen peas on his whowhodilly, at least he can shoot stuff while he recovers. I'm trying to think of a catchy term for such a gift.

It has been too long...

This is the part of the show in which I rattle off a list of reasons for not updating. I'm teaching an extra prep at school, which brings me up to four, yes four, different preps. I am teaching a writing course and have been writing in my journal a lot more. Laim is walking and all over the place. Since I am chasing him, I am rarely online any more.
Anyway, what a busy month. Liam turned one. He had a great time at his party. He started walking the day after his party and hasn't stopped. Here are a few of his professional pictures.





He's having one of his crazy, learns a million things, months. He can now blow kisses and indicate he is finished eating. He tries to feed himself yogurt using a spoon. He waves bye bye consistantly. He looks through books and plays nicely with Jake. He plays with other kids and explores everything.
It seems like I was just finding out I was pregnant. Although I miss those precious baby monehts, I can not wait to see who this litte boy who wraps his arms around my legs is going to become.

Random Things...

I don't want to forget
Liam loves "Night Night Little Pookie." He points to Pookie when we ask where he is. If we attempt to give him any other book before bed, he wiggles and refuses to pay attention. He'll even close the book front side out, as if to let us know we have the wrong book. He is even starting to memorize the book. When the part about getting kisses comes, he moves his head to us and gives us his ears to kiss goodnight.
His other favorite book is SuperHero Me. He picks it up and brings it to me to read. It's a tough and feel book. He loves feeling the pages. When we read the page about the toddler who can battle a T-rex, Liam and I roar back and forth at each other.

The Belly Button Book is Liam's least favorite book. I don't know what it is about it. I think it's adorable and wish he would let me read it to him. No clue why he dislikes it so much.

The Diaper Change Olympic Games have closed. Not only have they come to an end, Liam helps us get his shirt off when it is bath time. He even helps us a bit during diaper changes. He lifts his butt off the ground to help us get the dirty diaper off.

Liam's new obsession is baby massage. I've been doing it since he was born. During diaper and changing wars, I had given up on getting a massage in. Now, he loves it. He especially loves getting his feet rubbed. I love the moment when his foot relaxes and he uncurls his toes. It shows he is truly comfortable and trusting of me. When I try to switch from one foot to the other, he leaves the first foot up as a hint to keep going. He doesn't mind getting his arms rubbed. He doesn't seem to get why I rub his chest and tummy, but he is a baby who loves getting his legs rubbed.

Liam loves to try to figure things out. When he plays baby basketball, if he uses a smaller ball that doesn't activate the buzzer and lights, he has figured out to reach in the hoop and push the button himself. Have to respect a baby that makes sure he gets the credit he deserves.

2011 so far

For Liam and I, 2011 has been a pretty boring year. We were snowed in for two days the last week of December. He and I actually went five days without leaving the house because of Christmas and then a blizzard on the 27. He so excited to finally get out. The following week, Liam had an ear infection and pink eye, which meant a few more days in the house. As we are digging out from another storm, Liam and I are enjoying our second snow day of the week. The things to do list is dwindling.

Mike has been working so hard to finish the basement in time for Liam's first birthday. I have been on baby detail. It is tough work to snuggle the baby and play Little People with him while Mike tackles moulding, sheet rock, and painting. The house is upside down right now since the carpet installers will be arriving Friday. Our utility room is filled with furniture. Our dining room is filled with boxes and planes and our sunroom if silled with boxes and pictures. There is no sense in cleaning. It won't help. Since I am the only only one in the family with Monday off, I'll put the house back in order then.

We are trying to watch what we eat. I am so sick of gaining and losing the same ten pounds. If I am going to be teach Liam to be healthy, I must set the example. Therefore, there will be no baking to pass the time.

We have spent a small fortune on the basement. Liam has everything he needs. I am not going to kill time at the mall. Besides, the entire state has cabin fever; I don't have the patience to deal with large crowds.


This leaves Liam and I in the house yet again. We have played with his toys, watched the neighbors remove snow, scribbled, practiced walking, learned to ride his firetruck, read stories, danced, snacked, snuggled, chased the dog, and perfected our "Roar!!" We ate pancakes and pot roast. We vacuum daily. We've napped together. We have done just about everything that can be done within the 928 feet of living space we call home. This left us one thing left to do: fort!
At first, Liam was happy just to crawl over it.

He quickly learned it was quite spacious inside:


Since Liam has no interest in actually riding zebra, his new job involved holding the roof of the south wing and being delicious.

MMMmmmm

Before I Forget

There's one rite of passage that comes with living in the north: waiting for the "No School" announcement due to snow. When we were little, we'd sit by my mom's AM radio, shushing when the list was about to be read. There was a little jingle that sang "Operation Snowball." and the reader of the list, Salty Brine, is a local celebrity. We even named a state beach after him, which is quite ironic now that I put it all together. Anyway, we never had cancellations the night before the way they do now. We had to get up, start getting ready just in case we had school, and wait for "Operation Snowball. The list was read in alphabetical order. We lived in Warwick, one of the last districts announced. The anticipation was enough to cause frenzy. As I got older, I knew enough to realize that if districts around us closed, we may be closed as well. Cranston being closed was usually a good sign. The excitement that accompanied hearing Warwick on the list made some of the best days of the year. We were free to attack the fresh, beautiful snow!
As I grew older, we'd watch a continuous tracker at the bottom of the TV screen. By the time I began teaching, the lists we available online. This still required refreshing the update. My district just adopted a calling system. A few minutes after my sister yelled "No school," I received an automated phone message.
There are few things that I ponder and truly feel bad that Liam will never know the way I do. He'll never have to find the number for the pizza place in the White Pages. He'll have have to flip a cassette every five songs. But him never knowing the true joy that comes from hearing Salty Brine say "No school Warwick" on AM radio truly leaves me feeling that he is missing one of youth's most simple pleasures.

Confession

Mike and I decided to only have one child. We know what we can handle. We know what we have room for and what we can afford. I was so worried about being a good mother to Liam. We both worried about our marriage in the sense that we knew our "us" time would be pretty much gone. We were fairly certain of our decision but decided to wait a year just to make sure.
It has been an amazing journey this past year. We handled acid reflux, failed breasting attempts, floods, emergency trips to Florida, Mom's death, adjusting to parenthood, adjusting to my return to work, and Liam's adjustment to daycare. Mike and I make our marriage a priority, knowing that someday, Liam is going to move out and be the center of someone else's world. We share beers after he goes to sleep. In the summer, we brought the monitors out and had fires in the backyard. While we've only had a handful of dates, I feel our relationship is stronger than ever even though we have never been so busy.
Around Thanksgiving, Mike and I returned to our decision to just have one child. I'll admit that I always saw myself having two children. This was, however, before I saw how much work a baby really requires. Kristy is fifteen months younger than I am and, although I know we'd probably hate each other if we weren't sisters, she is one of the most important people in my life. I can't imagine surviving my youth without her. We decided one child works best for us. Mike made the necessary appointment. The consulation is, ironicly, on Liam's first birthday.

One child allows me to continue working. Daycare for two would eat my paycheck. I worked too hard to give up my career. I enjoy teaching. One child allows us to plan for emergencies. Need to hop on a plane and go to Florida? Ok. It made us tight but we managed. Liam needs a new coat or the Jeep needs new tires? Get it taken care of. Much of the drama in my childhood involved my parent's inability to manage money. When I was very young, my parents did a very good job of makig sure Kristy and I didn't know we were poor. As we grew, it was impossible not to notice bill collctors' phone calls. I always swore I'd never do that to my own offspring. One child allows Mike and I to focus on each other as well as the baby.

Maybe it is because Liam is about to turn one and I realize my days of snuggling him in my arms and having a baby are coming to an end. Maybe it is because there have been some stories of young men dying in their teen years and I am scared of losing the one person who calls me "Mama." Maybe it is because, with my mom gone and my dad in Florida, Kristy is the only blood relative I talk to on a regular basis. What happens if, after Mike and I are gone, Liam is alone? He will not even have cousins.

This past week, Mike and I were both on vacation. The plan was to put Liam in daycare so we could work on the basement.= and take one day to ourselves. We jokingly refered to it as "Nooner Week." Nooner Week was only supposed to go until Thursday due to my "friend." Sunday comes and Mike realized I am late. I should also add that, due to an insurance issue, I was not on the pill this month. I was not paying $120 out of pocket so we vowed to be careful. So here I am, three days late and not on the pill. It was time to go back to taking a pregnancy test and praying for a negative. On the drive to CVS, I decided to actually pray. Out loud and everything. I asked Him to do whatever He thought was right and we would accomidate His decision.

My confession: even though I knew it went against everything we had planned, I was asking God for a positive. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because the idea of another baby was rolling around in my head. God must have been listening. I got my period in the parking lot of CVS before I even took the key out of the ignition. He really does know what is best for us.