Liam is ONE

All is quiet in the Adams household...except for the sounds of my puppy Chloe snoring in the chair beside me, Liam snoring through the baby monitor, and our friends son Reese snoring on the couch behind me. lol. Bill has left me for a night out with his buddies (including Reese's mom Avery, thus why her son is on my couch), so I am holding down the fort. I gotta say..I'm loving the solitude! As much as I adore my family, it's nice to just get to do what I want once in awhile. That being said, I did just finally manage to sneek out of Liams room. He had this toy in his crib that plays music and animal noises when you press it. I thought it was off. It wasn't. As soon as I heard the music start to play through the monitor..I knew it was already too late for me. Liam has been on this attachment kick lately. Which I love. I mean, I'm his mom, of course I want him to always want me. But it's hard when it's the middle of the night, and Bill has to get up at 5 so I can't wake him up to help me out, and Liam will NOT let me put him down without a fight. Gah. Tangent.

Christmas is now right around the corner, and I think I finally have a handle on things. I decided that today was my official last day of baking christmas cookies (the freezer is getting a little full...lol), so I made up a plate and had Bill bring it on over to our neighbors before they headed out to Montreal for the holidays. Nothing like Christmas cookies to bring a little cheer right? And I'm cheesey like that...if I could, I would send you all some cookies :) The gifts are pretty much all wrapped up by now (just a few stragglers), the christmas cards are finally sent, stocking stuffers purchased...not much else to do but wait for Santa to arrive. Bill and I have decided to exchange our gifts for each other tomorrow sometime. His holidays have officially begun now, and he has wanted me to open the gifts from him since last week now, so I caved and agreed on Saturday. It saves us from having to pack them in the van and transport them to Ottawa with us, and sort of lets us have our own little family christmas. Liams presents will be coming with us for the most part (maybe we'll let him have a few just because Mommy and Daddy get to open some), to add to the ones that "santa" brings him :)

Liam opening his first under the "bed/crib" present (a Vieau family tradition)

Liam at Pizza Hut on his birthday (he wasn't too keen on the hat..don't blame him..lol)

Liams first birthday cake....or 1st Birthday cake!! Thanks to my talented mom :)

My little man is not so little anymore...he is now a ONE YEAR OLD!! I can't even believe it still!! I feel like this past week has brought so many changes in his little personality. He is getting better and better at standing on his own now, he can play independently for quite awhile (while I try to watch him out of the corner of my eye because he is so dang cute talking to his little people and humming along to his musical instruments, but if he sees me watching he does this big smile and b-lines it over to me for a mommy snuggle). Sometimes a kids tv show we have on for backround noise will catch his eye, and he is just amazed! It's priceless. And the temper. Oh the temper. haha. If my little monkey does not want something, boy he is not ashamed to let us know. The mouth opens up wide, and he does this high pitched yell...sometimes he even falls on the ground. I try very hard not to laugh sometimes I have to admit...while I'm doing the proper mommy thing like telling him that I understand he is frustrated, and trying to solve his problem with him. He is growing a mile a minute (at his last doctors appointment he weighed 21 pounds!) and has 6 teeth now (4 on the top, 2 on the bottom). He loves his morning bottle while we watch Caillou together. He plays with my right hand while he drinks his bottle, and when he has had enough, he twists so that he can smile up at me. Have I said priceless yet?

So we are off to Ottawa on Tuesday to do some last minute shopping (Petawawa does NOT have some of the things we want to buy as gifts), and to go out for supper and a movie with our good friends Dave and Nichole. My mom and dad are going to be on Liam and Chloe duty (I don't think they mind). It will be nice to get some alone time with Bill, and to do some adult things like go to a resteraunt without soother, diapers, bottles, books, wipes, change of clothes, food, spoons, etc. in tow. And to maybe not have to change a diaper in between appetizers and main courses. lol. If I don't manage to get in another post before Christmas, I wish you all the very best that the season has to offer. Christmas always makes me feel warm and cozy inside..like all is right with the world...may that feeling be passed on to you :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. Forgot to mentions: Liam went to see Santa for the first time last weekend, and had NO problem with the jolly ol' man! :) AND....I will officially be an aunty to a little BOY named Blake come May. Congrats to my brother Matt and sis-in-law Kathy :) Can't wait to meet him!! I will also have another little niece/nephew in May (Bill's sister is also pregnant)..but the sex is still to be determined :)

Liam's Baptism

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at least here at CFB Petawawa! It seems as though everyone is putting up their lights outside this week, and I see glimpses of Christmas trees in almost everyone's windows now. I LOVE it!! :) I am such a Christmas-a-holic!! We put up our own tree this week after a long discussion about real tree vs. fake tree. I am a real tree girl all the way, but our fake tree looks nice, doesn't need to be watered, and I don't have to worry about Liam or Chloe eating the needles. Since we are planning on being in Ottawa over the holidays, we decided on the fake tree again this year. A little bummed out, but it looks pretty and makes me feel happy, so I guess it's all good.
Today was a busy day (like most of our days around here). Liam is still having trouble getting to sleep at night, most likely due to teething and a growth spurt, so he has been sleeping in almost every morning lately. I first heard him stirring this morning at about 7:30, and he didn't fully wake up until about 8. After a bottle, some yogurt for breakfast (all I could convince him to eat), and a little bit of playing, I bundle Liam all up for a walk to the swimming pool with Addy and Pauline. It was Addy's first time ever in a pool, and she loved it. Liam always loves it, and today was no different. I was contemplating taking him down the waterslide since he loves it so much, but I was too chicken today! lol
After swimming, we walked over to Timmies for some coffee and started our chilly walk home. Both kids fell fast asleep about..hmmm....2 seconds into the walk (swimming always knocks lil man right out!), so we just took our time and chatted the whole way home. I am SO thankful to have such a great friend finally here in Pet! We are both in exactly the same boat family-wise, and both of our husbands are military cooks...so we always have a lot to talk about. And the kids love hanging out with each other. Love it!
Handome Boy!

In other news, my son is FINALLY baptized!!! Can I hear a hallelujah?? lol We had a ceremony in Ottawa this past Sunday, with all of our close friends and family in attendance. We chose my brother, Matt, and my sister-in-law, Kathy, as his godparents (cuz he just loves them SO much!), and everything went without a hitch (even though we had missed the info session so we had no idea what we were doing). Liam was ridiculously cute in his little white suit...and he wouldn't stay still during the whole ceremony. He kept crawling up and down the pews. It was super important to be that he be baptized, so I feel a little like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

Being welcomed to our faith :)

Now it's down to planning his...get this...FIRST BIRTHDAY party!!!!!! Where did this year go?

There's just something about that first real snowfall...

There is just something about the first real snowfall. It has snowed a few times already this season here in lovely Petawawa, Ontario..but tonight, for the first time, it is actually sticking. And I know that I will probably eat my own words later in the winter, when I am knee deep in snow piles, Liam has a runny nose, and Chloe needs to go for a walk...but right now, I am just loving it for what it is. I love the way that snow covers the brown grass and the dead flowers and just makes everything sparkle. I love the smell of snow in the air...how crisp and refreshing it is. I love how quiet the world seems when the snow is falling. And right now, I love that snow means Christmas is on its way. I'm not one to count down the days, because it's not necessarily just Christmas day that I adore..it's the whole dang season!!! lol. Around this time, I start to sense Christmas in the air. It has this wonderful spicy, warm smell to it. And this year, I just can't wait to share all of the excitement with my little guy. I can't wait to see his eyes light up when he sees christmas lights for the first time. Or see his reaction to Santa Clause. SO much fun and love around Christmas time. And my family has loads to give! I took Chloe for a walk in the snow tonight, as Bill rocked Liam to sleep....and it was heaven. Just thought I would share :)

Lovin' me some routine!!

Can I just say how GREAT it is to have my husband home at 3:30 every day this week? He even gets to come home for lunch. And the rumor is that this perfection is going to last all the way until his Christmas holidays start...on December 18th!!!! WOO!! I am knocking on wood right now so that I don't jinx anything..lol.
Swimming lessons tomorrow...can't wait! And if Liam understood the concept of time, he would be excited too. :)
Ok..small post tonight..I just had to share how excited I was to be a part of a normal routine for once. This military wife thing has been a rollercoaster so far!

Halloween approaches....and we can't wait!! :)

Today I watched the saddest episode of Oprah ever! I honestly hardly ever find the time to watch her anymore (little secret about Amanda...I LOVE Oprah!), but for some reason I clicked on today and just couldn't tear myself away. It was all about these parents who had lost their three small children in a car accident...the oldest was about 5 I think, and the youngest was 2 and a half. I pretty much cried the whole way through. And then tonight, I found myself rocking Liam to sleep a little longer than I needed to. I've been doing that a lot lately. I know that he is only going to be this little for the blink of an eye, and I don't wanna miss a thing. I sit in our rocking chair with him at night, and just watch those long eyelashes of his flutter as he tried his very best not to fall asleep. He is such a nosey boy, he just has to see what is going on at all times. And it's the best thing ever to watch those eyes finally close, to hear that little outtake of breath he does when he is really asleep...he sighs his way into dreamland...and to watch as his soother falls out of his mouth. And I know that I can put him into his crib at any time, but I hold on for just that little extra minute and breathe him in. Gahh...I love him SOOO much!!

My favorite picture of Liam lately. Will ya look at those eyes?? Melt my heart every time!

Halloween is fast approaching and I am getting super excited. We have shared other "first" holidays with our little man already (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving)...but Halloween will be the first big one that he can really partake in. We are dressing him up as a monkey and taking him trick-or-treatig to a few houses with some friends of ours. And Bill is actually OFF this year to enjoy it as a family. WOO!! :) After trick-or-treating, and after the litle ones are asleep, we are having our friends in to watch some scary movies and eat pizza. Eating pizza on Halloween is sort of a Vieau family tradition, so I am happy that I get to share in that this year. I am all about the traditions :)

So...playgroup happens tomorrow which should be fun. Liam really seems to like going, and I love getting out of the house and hanging out with other moms. I made a bunch of Halloween sugar cookies last week (froze them) and got them all iced today so I can hand them out to the moms tomorrow. It was sort of fun to do my first "mom" thing...I'm planning on making some little labels that say "From Liam." Too cute!! Wednesday is swimming lesson day...which we love! We missed last week unfortunately because we headed to Trenton for a visit with some best friends and family. My dad just got back from Afghanistan, so it was great to get to spend some uninterupted time with him, and for him to get to spend time with Liam. Liam just loves his Nana and Grandpa!! They are coming to Petawawa on Thursday for a visit (and to babysit monkey so that mommy and daddy can go to a work Halloween party! Thanks mom and dad!!) and we can't wait.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

My son...the Starfish swimmer!!

Today was Liam's first swimming lesson, and I was so excited for it! Unfortunately I had to take him solo as Bill is out in the field cooking this week, so there are no pictures to document the occasion (other than the couple I managed to snag while we were in the changing room). Hopefully Bill will be able to come with us one week so he can see how darn fun it is.

Liam enjoying the chair on the wall...all ready to go in the pool :)

I won't go into details, but Liam was a horrible, horrible sleepet last night. I tried every mom trick that I could think of to get him to settle down and stay asleep, but nothing seemed to work. So we were both up into the early morning and I was afraid that we wouldn't be up to swimming. But we were! Oh...we were! lol Liam woke up after 7 (seriously...this is a momentous event!! If Bill and I ever get to sleep past 6:30 we are overjoyed) and I got him dressed for the day right away (usually we stay in our jammies until after morning nap). We had an early breakfast and bottle, and then we were off to Timmie's to get mommy some much needed caffeine. On a sidenote, I am finding it SO liberating to get to eat and drink whatever I want without worrying about whether or not it will make it into the breastmilk.

After Timmie's we headed over to the base pool (a little early as I had no clue what I was in for). I got Liam changed into his cute lil bathing suit and swim diaper, got myself ready to go...and then we bumped into our friends Maureen and Nolan who were also in the class. WOO! :) Liam started getting excited as soon as he saw the baby pool. And the moment he touched the water, the arms and legs started moving like crazy...water was flying everywhere. He really is a natural swimmer it seems...like he was meant to be in the water. I am SO happy as I am the same way. Seems like there will be lots of swim time in our future. Anywho..the class was only 30 minutes long, and Liam did awesome throughout the whole thing. It is SO cute watching all of these little ones floating around...so pleased and excited with themselves. We ended up knowing a bunch of people from the playgroup that we go to, so it was such a fun morning. The hardest part of the whole thing was definetly getting us OUT of the pool complex. I did not think about how much work it would be to get a 9 month old all dried and dressed, as well as myself...in a confined area. Thankfully our changing rooms have these little chairs on the wall that you can put the babies in while you change. Lifesavers!!! And Liam thought it was great being in it..wonders of wonders! lol

Liam napped as soon as we got home, so I was able to get in an hours worth of sleep (yey!! Thank God!). After he woke up, I gave him a bath to get rid of the chlorine (plus he has a little diaper rash going on, so I figured it would help anyways).

I love his raised eyebrow and cool hairdo in this pic! lol

After bathtime, I fed him lunch and then we headed out again. There is something to be said about having "at home" days...we'll probably do that tomorrow....but I like to take Liam out as much as possible so that he can be exposed to different things. Today we went to our favorite trail to take Chloe for a walk. I've blogged about this trail before, and today I actually managed to take some pics of the beauty! Enjoy!

The beginning of the trail sort of doesn't look like much...

Then you walk by an old cemetary surrounded by barbed wire... And then you come upon this gorgeous park and pond!

Beauty!

The End of Something Great...and the Start of Something Greater!

Whew...this week seemed to speed by! Bill was off from Sunday until Tuesday which made the time go by faster. On Monday we drove to Ottawa for Liam's 9 month Doctors appointment. It was in the morning, so we had to leave Petawawa pretty early. We got there with just enough time to spare to stop at Tim Hortons, grab some hot water, heat up Liams bottle and give him breakfast. Worked out perfectly. Liam got rave reviews from his Doctor which was great. He is now weighing in at a whopping 19 lbs, and he is about 29 inches long (it's hard to get an exact measurement of Mr. Man as he moves non-stop). I always feel a little funny when we get to the question portion of the doctors visit, as I usually don't have too many to ask. Liam has always been an awesome eater...he likes most foods that he tries (exceptions: broccoli, cauliflower, Kiwi on it's own, pureed Melon), he is growing at the proper rate (not too big, not too small), he is alway learning new skills and meeting all the developmental milestones at the proper times, he hasn't really been sick at all...so I never know what the say. I find myself asking the dumbest questions sometimes. Like...what is this little spot in his ear? Is is ok that he only crawls on his belly and not on his knees (which he started doing like yesterday all of a sudden..finally! lol)? Guess I shouldn't complain!

While we were at the Doctors I made a pretty big decision. Up until now I have still been breast feeding Liam in the mornings when he first wakes up. He really doesn't seem to have the patience for it anymore, and last week I was lucky if I could keep him interested for 5 minutes....so we have officially stopped. He is now fully on food, water and formula only. And he is perfectly happy...I don't think he even noticed a change. Me on the other hand....it is such a weird adjustment. Because I weaned him so gradually, I am lucky to miss out on the physical pain that can happen when you stop feeding, but it is sad in a way to not have that attachment anymore with him. I am so thankful that I was able to give him what I could for 8 months, and I am so thankful for the quiet time I got to spend with him when I was feeding him. I will miss it. On the other hand, I have to admit that I am enjoying the freedom that comes with being breast-feeding free. I drank regular coke today and did not worry about the amount of caffeine in it! Glorious freedom! lol. It's hard to see that he is fine without me, but I think a little freedom will be great for both of us. Before I got pregnant, I had gotten the first of two shots to immunize myself against Hepatitis A (in case we decide to travel anywhere in the future). I wasn't able to get the second shot because of the pregnancy, and haven't gotten it up until now due to breast feeding. I decided while I was at the doctors with Liam this time to get the shot, which essentially meant I was done feeding him.

After the Doctors on Tuesday we did some Ottawa running around. We spent WAY too much money at Costco, but got some amazing deals and lots of Christmas shopping done. WOO! (Note: the snap peas from Costco are AMAZING!). We spent a little time in the pet store because Liam had just fallen asleep in his stroller and we didn't feel like disturbing him (he looked way too peaceful). We are hoping to get our niece a fishtank for Christmas so we were checking some of the options out there. We also got some puppy Christmas presents bought. After lil man woke up we did a quick trip to Bayshore Mall to buy Liam some more fall/winter clothes at Old Navy. We also picked up his Halloween costume. TOO cute!! We zipped home after that because we had left Chloe at home and didn't want her to be alone for too long.

Tuesday was a pretty relaxed day. We took Chloe and Liam for a hike in this new spot we had heard of. It is called Petawawa Terrace Provincial Nature Reserve, and it is amazing. Lots of nice wide trails, little trails if you're in the mood to venture off the beaten track, forests, fields, water...it was great. It was rainy the day that we went, but we put the hood down on Liam backpack carrier and kept on. He loved it! And we loved it! We couldn't stay for too long though as I had to get back into town to pick up our new friends Pauline and Addy for playgroup. Liam continues to enjoy going, as do I, so we make it a point not to miss a week. I am hoping that we can keep the friendships that we are making there in the years to come. It it so important to me that Liam has some little friends to interact with.

For the rest of the week Liam and I have just been hanging out and having fun together. He is getting so much better at holding onto things and walking (he loves to walk along the couch), he has learned how to crawl on his knees, he is starting to eat food with more textures now, and he just loves watching everything around him. He thinks Chloe is the greatest toy ever, and would LOVE to play in her food and water dishes if I would let him. He enjoys going outside for walks...hardly makes a peep the entire time we are out...and he continues to love the water. This Wednesday we start swimming lessons which should be a great experience. I have to admit though, I am not looking forward to donning a swimsuit in such a public place!!!! lol The things we do for our little ones. I'm planning on just using him as my tummy shield. lol.

And on that lovely note, I will sign off for tonight. Sorry for the epic post...we are one busy family! And I never seem to have time to write lately (I am working on a photobook for Liam which is eating up all my free/Liam is napping time....which also involves teaching myself Photoshop...GAH! lol)

A sneak peek at Liam's Halloween costume. The cutest lil Monkey in the world!

Gotta love weekends away!

So the Adams Family is back from their weekend away...and what a productive weekend it was. Bill and I knew that it was going to be one of those crazy, busy time-offs, but we went for it anyways (because we're just crazy like that! lol). Bill worked until about 2 on Thursday, so while he was away, I was working at home like a mad woman. Got all of Liams food and bottles ready for the weekend, got him and myself packed, got Chloe's food and bed all ready to go, got the assorted jackets/footwear ready if we needed it at the cottage (which we did) and got a huge bag of Liams toys ready to take along (and the exersaucer which is huge and clumsy to pack in the van, but a lifesaver!). Needless to say that by the the time Bill got home, I was already pretty pooped, but Bill was even more so, so nice lil me offered to pack the van up while he watched Liam. Then we were off to Ottawa! I pretty much take any chance that I can get to go and visit my grandparents and other family there. I miss it a lot since we've moved away. Seeing the city as we appear over the hill as we drive in from Kanata....it feels like we're going home in a way. My grandparents were super happy to see Liam and were amazed at how much he has changed in such a short time. In his 8th month alone he has learned to do SO many new and amazing things. Every time Liam spots his grammy, his arms go right out and he leans in for her to take him. It's the cutest thing!

So our mission in Ottawa was to get Liam a new carseat and to pick up a MEC Baby Carrier that someone was selling. Mission accomplised! We took Chloe to the dogpark early on Friday morning which was great. It was a beautiful day and I didn't feel so bad for making her come along with us on all of our errands for the rest of the day. I carried Liam around the park in the Snugli which was a great workout for me (just in case Bill had to run after Chloe at any point...a real possibility with our crazy pup....but she actually behaved perfectly this time), and Liam loved watching all the dogs running around. After the park, we drove REALLY far out to the East end of Ottawa to pick up the carrier from a woman who lived near Metcalfe. Honestly, if I had realized how far she really lived, there is a strong chance we would not have made the drive. But we did, and it was gorgeous out in the country...Liam even had a lil nap so Bill and I got a chance to just talk and laugh and have fun. The woman lived in this pretty rich looking area, so we knew the carrier would be in great shape. And it was! Seriously....$40 for a Mountain Equipment Co-op Baby Carrier...how great is that!!!!!! We are SO excited to get to try it out with Liam. He is quickly outgrowing his little snugli, and we like to go hiking quite frequently, so we needed something more heavy duty.

After that awesome drive, we attempted to find the Kiddytown Warehouse that I knew was also located in Ottawa's East end. We found it finally...after a long, hot drive through lot's of horrible Ottawa traffic. Bill stayed in the car with Chloe while I took Liam into...Mommy Paradise!!!! No joke..this place was like an airplace hanger full of anything you could ever want or need for your child. Stollers, carseats, snowsuits, toys....you name it. I zeroed right in on the Britax carseat I wanted, which was in stock (YEY!) and turned out to be on sale. Even better! It was a feat in itself that I didn't spend hours in there, and thousands of dollars. But our van was already packed to the brim and I knew Bill would be less than pleased if I came out with boxes of stuff (though I did managed to sneak a little yellow, prickly ball into the mix for Liam to play with in the car) :) LOVE the new carseat...it is super cute...and I love knowing that Liam is SO safe in it (I did lots of research on it beforehand).

And then...after all of that running around...we headed back to the grandparents to say a quick goodbye and to feed Liam some lunch...then we were off to the cottage. The drive was pretty uneventful. Liam slept until we hit mad traffic in Arnprior, and he got woken up by like 10 semi's driving by us. The cottage was great as it always is. It was freaking cold there, so I was happy that I had packed Liam some warm clothes and hats. On Saturday night we all went to this party that the people on the lake call a "Wing Ding." Basically they deep fry all sorts of food...chicken wings by the pound, onion rings, cheese sticks..you name it. I was pretty good and tried to stick mostly to the salads and what not, but it was one of those situations where you feel like you've gained 10 pounds just by being in the same room as the food. Strollercize starts on Thursday this week...so lets hope that helps. lol. There was no swimming or boating this time at the cottage due to the cold, wind and rain...so stayed pretty quiet and just played with Liam and watched movies. Bill's sister and brother-in-law made it up which was great. We don't get too many opportunities to see them, and when we do it's lots of fun. Liam loves them also! And they finally managed to get the footage they took of our wedding onto some DVD's...WOO!!! :)

ANYWAYS...super long post already...all I'll say about this coming week is that it is shaping up to be pretty busy. We have playgroup tomorrow afternoon, I'm hoping to make it the library finally on Wednesday, and then me and a new friend are checking out this strollercize group on Thursday. Oh, and swimming lessons registration is on Wednesday...and apparently it is pretty competitive to get into around here due to the number of babies on base...so I'm going super early!! My son is getting IN!! lol Today...I dunno yet...maybe the park and a nice long walk with Chloe and Liam.

I will leave you with an oldy, but a goody of Mr. Liam as I haven't uploaded the pics from this weekend yet :)

Exploring!

Gah...okay..so I just finished writing a really long blog entry, and my computer decided that it wasn't worthy and did some sort of screwy thing..resulting in the blog entry disappearing. So instead of re-writing the whole darn thing (which would just be too annoying to even attempt) I will give you a re-cap of what it said.:
#1) Liam has been sucky at sleeping this week. Not a new story for us. But last night Bill and I took a stand which ended up taking about 2 hours, lots of crying (Liam and myself! lol) and finally around 9:30, Liam falling asleep due to Bill's bright idea of putting a blankie in the crib with little man. Go Bill!! Just FYI..we did not do the cry it out thing, we just refused to rock Liam to sleep, he had to do it on his own. So if we did pick him up, there was no rocking.

#2) This week has been all about exploring Petawawa a little. Instead of going for our daily walk on the base (which was getting very boring and monotonous), we have been venturing out to new places.

#3) New place number 1 was this walking path I have driven past many times and never stopped in to see it. After walking down this massive hill (not so easy with stoller and dog in tow) and walking by a somewhat creepy, really old cemetary (all fenced in with barbed wire and everything...I think the graves are from the settlers of Petawawa)...you come to this huge open paradise. There is a pond with ducks swimming around, you can see the river rapids just beyond it, there are beautiful gazebos, open green grassy areas to play soccer or whatever, a fire engine shaped play structure for the little ones, and a little mini sandy beach area. Gorgeous! And the trail is nice and paved, and follows the river so all you hear is the water and the birds chirping. I will take pics the next time I go.

#4) New place number 2 was Petawawa Point, a beach that it pretty close to our place. It does involve driving to it though, but I am an expert in packing up the van on my own at this point in the mommy game.

The view from this beach is spectacular on a rainy day...but today was sunny and perfect and the view was amazing! You can see all these little islands everywhere, and the hills in the distance. There were kids playing in the sand, and all the cottagers along the water were out enjoying the weather. Cottagers are always so friendly don't you find? People were saying hi to us left, right and center :) We went for about a 45 min. walk, stopping along the way to give Liam his bottle and to cool down in the shade along the fast moving part of the river (we were on a hill overlooking it).

Evidently there was a moose sighting along the river today so there were a couple of people with their binoculars out trying to see him (including this really cute kid with glasses. He was so excited!). As great as the walk was, I was happy to get home and get little man into the air conditiong. Love the weather, but I don't like Liam to be out in it for too long. So we are all caught up now...and as soon as Liam wakes up from his nap, the rest of our day will be filled with lots of playing and banana puffs (I love the way he almost smooshed them into his mouth!! SO cute!). Go out and enjoy the weather...and explore new places! You might be surprised what you can find in your own backyard (I was!)

My son...the Rockstar!

Today was one of those super happy, easy days. It was Bill's last day off before he heads back to work for a six day stretch, and we actually had nothing planned. For some reason we always end up packing so much into his time off. Maybe everyone is like that. Before his time off has even arrived we've got trips to Ottawa planned, to-do lists made, gardens to plants, etc.etc. So today was great. For the first 2 days of his time off we were pretty busy. Bills parents came to Pet to help us build a shed in our backyard. We bought the shed awhile ago now (for a really, really great price), but we didn't realize how complicated it was going to be to build. I'm sure the look on my face when we opened up the box and I looked at the instructions was priceless. It ended up taking us all day Monday and Tuesday to get the whole project completed....but we are SO happy to have it (thanks Mom and Dad-in-law!!). My friend Nichole also came down for a visit on Monday afternoon, and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. So I should add some thanks for her too, as she ended up helping out a lot with the shed.

We had a barbeque on Monday for all the "shed builders" and Bill invited one of his co-workers and his family. It was kind of cool to meet them because they brought their daughter Addy who was born on the exact same day as Liam. Turns out they only live around the corner, so I told the woman (Pauline) that she should carpool to playgroup on Tuesdays (she doesn't have a car during the day) On Monday night, after Liam was all bathed and ready for bed, Nichole and I drove to Pembroke to check out the theater there and to see "Eat, Pray, Love." The theater...not so great! lol. No cupholders, squeeky seats, REALLY loud, and you could hear the movie in the next room. BUT the awesome movie made up for it. SO good :) Somehow, we managed to stay up long enough when we got back to enjoy a glass of wine and to chat for awhile. Needless to say we were both a little zombie-ish the next day.

Tuesday was another shed-building day. It was also Liams playgroup day, so in the afternoon I stole Nichole and my mom-in-law away to come check it out with Liam and I. Not a lot of the regulars were there, but we did meet some new mommy's and some cute lil ones. We even met a little guy named Calum who was also born on Dec. 8th! Cute cute cute.

And that brings us back to today. Our rock-star day!! Lately I have been seeing all of these lil ones Liams age doing things that he isn't really interested in yet. Like climbing up on things for example. Liam could stand up, holding onto things, if we put him there. But today...oh today...he was sitting in his crib looking at me, and he just reached out, grabbed the rail, and pulled himself up. I was so excited I started jumping up and down and clapping for him. He got all excited with himself. And that was just the start of our day :) He's been working on getting to a sitting position from his belly lately, but hadn't really mastered it until today. Smarty pants. After his morning "snack" bottle, we headed over to a park near us. Liam has never been to a park, so it was really fun for us to share the experience as a family. We pushed him in the swing....

We helped him to go down the slide, and we let him explore the cool, squishy ground beneath the playground...

Then we went home, and tried some cheerios and apple juice for the first time. It seemed to be the day to venture out and try new things.

All in all...a great day! I'm so happy that Bill was able to be there for so many of Liams firsts. He missed so much being away at boot camp, and then for the G20 summit, I am always thankful when he is around now. That being said, tomorrow Liam and I are leaving for Ottawa. We're just staying the day, and then driving to Trenton on Friday. Saturday we are planning on going to the beach with some of our friends...I can't wait to see Liams reaction to the sand :)

I am a horrible, horrible blogger. I admit it. You would think that not having anything to say would be the problem, but for me, it's the opposite. If I don't write for a few days, I feel like there is WAY too much to report, so I don't write, and then the problem just gets bigger and bigger. But I am not giving up quite yet, so no worries!

This week has been pretty uneventful, but as always when you have a baby in your life, it has been pretty busy. Bill is currently working six days on, and then gets three days off....so I am excited for tomorrow when he starts his days off. On Tuesday of this week I took Liam to the Under One club playgroup for the second time. We had been away on holidays for a few weeks, and he slept through one of the Tuesdays, so in all we had missed three weeks. What a difference 3 weeks makes!! The first time we went to the group, Liam sort of sat in front of me and assessed the situation. He did end up playing a little bit, but he didn't really venture too far away from me. This Tuesday, he was off! There was no stopping him! :) There was another little boy there named Nolan that we had met the first week....he and Liam were just having a grand ol time. It is seriously the cutest thing ever to see two little guys watching each other play with new toys, looking in the mirrors together...and just crawling around, learning as they go. I loved it. Nolan's mommy seems really great too, so I am excited about next weeks playgroup. It's great to have another mom to talk to about silly things like whether or not our kids should be eating meat yet, or how much they should be napping at this stage. We even found out that we are both planning on putting our little guys in swimming lessons come September, so it will be super fun to go together.

For the rest of the week, Liam and I sort of stuck to the same routine everyday. Get up, chill in the big bed for a little while (I still breastfeed Liam in the mornings...it's kind of our special time together...with Bill...lol), then venture into his room to get dressed for the day. I find that I have to get myself nice and cheerful in the morning so that it sets the tone for the rest of the day. It's hard not to be happy though, with this little face looking at me everyday.

After that, we play in the living room for awhile...usually end up making a big mess exploring all of our different toys. Liam seems to like the toys that are not really toys the best...remote controls, the camera case, the cabinet doors under the tv. Silly guy! When he was about 3 months old I bought him this stand and play walker thing...and I finally managed to put that together this week. So far not too much interest in it...but at least it's there for him when he's ready. I got spoiled this week because for two whole days, my son actually napped for longer than 30 min. intervals. He had 2, 2 hour naps instead. AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Amazing!!! I was able to get some chores done AND relax myself. So that is how the other half live. Today we're back to normal it seems.

So all in all...a pretty normal week in the Adams family. When Bill was working the morning shifts, we were able to go out and buy some potted Mum plants to spruce up the backyard a little bit better. When we first got to this pmq, the yard was in serious need of some attention. After making this new little garden, I am pretty pleased with how it is coming along. We may not live here for too long, but while we are here I'd like to see something beautiful when I look out my kitchen window. And after all my complaining about the damn birds in the backyard...FINALLY we have some cute little ones. They appear in packs of 5 or 6...and they're the sweetest things ever. YEY! :) Liam and I stand at the kitchen window almost everyday and just watch them :)

Can you bottle a feeling?

Right now my son is asleep upstairs with his Nana, the house is quiet, and I have a full iced cappucino in front of my. Life is good! We are staying with my grandparents in Ottawa for one more night, and then it's back to good ol' Petawawa. I took a walk over to Tim Hortons just a little while ago, and man is it gorgeous out. It's one of those days that you just want to bottle up and sample every once in awhile. The sky is oh so blue, and the temperature is perfect, and there is just this feeling in the air that fall is somewhere around the corner. Not necessarily the next corner, it may take a few blocks to get there...but I love that sense of the season about to change. As a kid, I always loved fall. I was one of those weird ones that actually loved back to school time. The new outfits all set to go, all of my pencial crayons sharpened and colorful ...waiting to create something magical, the new backpack all filled up. So great! I can't wait to share that feeling with Liam. As it is right now, I am so excited just to experience Liams first autumn with him. I have visions of playing in the leaves with him, picking out pumkins, going for hikes in the forest (we LOVE to do this as a family...there is always so much to discover), and dressing him all up warm and snuggly in his fall clothes. MMMmmmm....did I mention that life is good? :)
For the past 2 weeks we have been on vacation. My husband had a couple of weeks off (so GREAT!!) so we took off to his cottage for the first week, and did the whole Ottawa/tourist thing for the end half. The cottage was actually a lot of fun this time. Sometimes in the past I haven't had that great of a time up there...Bill will go off to help his dad with things, and then I've been sort of stuck inside with the baby. But this time was different. Bill was super awesome the whole time....we really worked as a team the whole time we were there. One night I would do bathtime and Bill would do bottle, and then the next night we would switch. It worked out great and we both got our alone time with little man. We took Liam in the lake for the very first time (I will post some pics soon I promise!) and he absolutely LOVED it! He did a little squack the first time, but honestly...who wouldn't?? The water was a tad chilly at first. But then his little legs started kicking and his face lit up. It was magic. Our puppy Chloe also joined us in the water, so Liam had a grand ol' time watching her paddle away (and mommy had the task of keeping the two "babies" from meeting up in the water...dog paws and floating babies do not mix! lol). We took Liam for a couple of long hikes in the woods which he also loved. I think he enjoys being in the snuggli because he can be a part of all the action. Sometimes he moves his legs like he is actually walking along. Too funny.
Ottawa has been great, and tiring. Lol. We've taken Liam downtown Ottawa to see the sights and do some shopping (he loved all the people and watchng all the cars), we took his on a little toy buying splurge at Toys R Us (bought him a picnic table, etc. for his birthday in December), and we took him to the Science and Technology Museum (he seemed to like all of the reflections in the glass, the trains....but most of all the ceiling fans that were way up high...lol). All in all, a great trip.
Bill left Thursday for home as he had a meeting Friday morning, and Liam and I decided to hang out in Ottawa for a couple of extra days. It is my Uncle Gords 50th birthday party tonight, and since we've moved away I have missed a lot of family events, so I thought it would be nice to see everyone. I know that everyone is dying to see Liam also...so I don't wanna deny them. lol We'll head back home tomorrow morning which is great. After having had 2 weeks with Bill not working...I'm having withdrawal being away from him for a couple of days. I miss him.
Anyways, sorry no pics this time...there will be lots in the future!

Mommyhood

Mommyhood...what a ride! There is absolutely no way that anyone can prepare you for the experience of being a parent...no words to express how beautiful and exciting and exhausting and exhilarating it all is. You just have to take the plunge. Jump in and hope for the best. And boy oh boy, did I get the best! Baby that is :) My son is such a wonder to me. He is creeping up on 8 months now, and everyday I can see him growing and changing. Today I noticed that he can hold one of his blocks fully in one hand. He couldn't do that last week. This week he is also figuring out how to get up on his hands and knees. No big boy crawling yet (he can army crawl like a master now thought), but he gets up on his knees and shakes his little bum back and forth in the air. One of these days I know that he just going to take off and there will no stopping him!
This weekend we were super lucky to have Liams Nana stay with us. She arrived on Friday afternoon and stayed until just a little while ago. It was so great having her here...I love it when Liam gets to be spoiled by someone who loves him like I do. There is a small chance that when my dad gets back from Afghanistan, that my mom may be moving to Petawawa to live with him again (long story...lol), so I tried to show her the sights a little bit while she was here. Bill and I found this beach called Petawawa Point the other day, which is gorgeous, so we took a drive there one morning. There is also a beach on the base called Black Bear Beach which is also very pretty. We will definetly be bringing Liam there one of these days.
We are heading out to Bill's cottage tomorrow, staying for a day and a night, and then heading into Ottawa for a couple of days. We've decided that we need to show Liam the Ottawa sites...be tourists for a little while....so the plan is to take him downtown to see the Parliament Buildings, Rideau Center, the Market, etc. I would also really like to take him to the Science and Technology Museum while we're in town. Not because he will understand at ALL what he is seeing, but I think he'd have some fun seeing the big trains and the light tunnel. Bill and I really love museums too, so it should be lots of fun. And as always, we will try to see as many people as we can while we are there. I miss everyone so much now that I live away...it will be good to see them. After a few days in Ottawa, we are driving back to the cottage to pick up our dog Chloe and to spend a few days with Bills family (his family picnic/reunion is also in there somewhere). I am hoping that the lake is warm enough by now that we will be able to take lil man into the water. We have a floaty thing to put him in, baby suntan lotion, little swimmer diapers and some cute fishy swim trunks and shirt....so we're all good to go. I will post some pics if we make it in :) Liam will be in his glory at the cotttage...another Grandma to spoil him and hug him galore.
Cheers everyone! May you have a great week..and may you get a chance to soak up some of this awesome sunshine today!! :)

What a Day, What a Day

Today was one of those days you get to the end of and wonder how the heck you got to the end of it! Liam was up again at 4 something, but he was really and truly crying this time. Like big alligator tears and everything. So I did something I try never to do anymore...I fed him. I tried everything else first: soother, teething gel, rocking, bouncing, cuddling nice and tight...but nothing was working. So I figured he just needed the comfort of breastfeeding. And I was right, as soon as he started to eat, his little eyes closed and he was back asleep. Bill had to be at work for 5 this morning, so he was leaving just as I was leaving Liam's room. I got another hours sleep, and then the stupid birds woke me up.

Ok..I'm all for nature...and I wrote about the birds in my last post...but seriously?? COME ON!! The little black birds are getting on my nerves. Bill calls them Grackels..don't know if that's their real name...but they are fast becoming my enemies. Lol. This morning I kept opening and closing my window so it would scare them away. But they would only fly away for a couple of minutes and then would flock right back. So I ended up getting so pissed off that I ran down the stairs in my pjs, burst out the back door and stole the darn birdfeeder away. Poor birds (NOT!). I put it back later though so that the bluejays and chipmunks could enjoy it. Anywho, by the end of all that, Liam had woken up and our day had officially begun. Lately we've been having so much fun just laying on my bed in the morning and playing. I love to watch him "reading" his books to me, babbling away like he's telling the best story ever. This morning he would laugh and laugh whenever I would tickle his belly with this little football that he has.

When I came downstairs to feed Liam his breakfast, I noticed a few ants on the floor in the hallway. I thought nothing of it at first, just cleaned them up and kept walking. Then I saw a few more, and a few more...then I realized that there were all over the place. SO disgusting. So I went through a major cleaning frenzy. Killed all the ants, swept all the floors and spot cleaned, and put all the rugs outside to be shaken. When Bill got home from work he put some ant traps in safe places, so we're hoping that will contain the problem. I already have dog hair to contend with on an everyday basis...I hate Liam crawling around and getting covered in it, so I pretty much vacuum everyday...so the ants are just too much.

My Uncle Dave and his partner Gary stopped in for a quick visit this afternoon. I love seeing my family, and I love company, but there is a part of me that is still a little ashamed at the state of my house currently. We are still very much in the process of trying to get rid of stuff we no longer need, and trying to find a way to organize and use the stuff that we want to keep. So I find myself apologizing for things as we do a quick tour. Just the way that I am I guess. Truly Canadian.

I feel like I have so much more to write tonight, but Bill just started watching a movie and I want to watch too :)

A Mishmash

Ahhh....don't ya just love the feeling you get when your little one is napping, safe and warm and content...and you get some "me" time? Liam was up at least 4 times last night, and Bill was dead to the world, so I ended up being the one to go in and comfort him everytime. He has two teeth coming in, so I think that he was just feeling the pain a little bit. He pretty much fell back asleep everytime I would pick him up. Then I would leave the room and he would wake right back up. Little monkey!!!! Needless to say though, this morning I was like a zombie and I have been grateful for all of his naps today (we're on #3 as I write this!).

My husband was great this morning...he took Liam downstairs after I fed him at 6:30 to let me get a little bit of sleep in. Then I was woken up by these darn birds (Bill calls them "grackels" which I have never heard of). Bill put a bird feeder up in our backyard which I liked...thinking we would get some pretty robins or chickadees or something....but no, we get the huge ass crows and ravens and the grackels which only seem to appear in swarms. Guess that's how they roll...but GAH!! Liam was fascinated with the darn things today though..we watched them fly away from our kitchen window. We do have a few bluejays that have been visiting us. Did you know how big bluejays are up close? I guess I never really realized. I was sitting outside this morning, enjoying my icecap and admiring the pretty bird at my feeder. Then he started to hop closer and closer...so I crinkled my cup a little and made some noise thinking that would get him to back off...but no way, he just kept approaching. So I escaped inside! lol...I am NOT one for birds as my friends can attest.

Ok...sorry for the bird tangent there. Things are starting to settle down a little in the Adams household. Bill has been home for a few weeks now, and we are finally starting to get into a rythym with each other again. You know how everyone has those quirks? Like, I tend to leave empty glasses all over the house...then gather them all up at the end of the day. I'm thirsty, and rather than find my old glass, I just use another one. Bill HATES it! Another example, Bill tends to throw all of his dirty dishes INTO the sink without rinsing first....drives me nuts! Because then I just have to take all these gross dishes out of the sink to wash them. Anywho...when he first got home, we had a hard time adjusting to each quirks again. But I think we're doing much better now. And it has been SO great seeing Liam interacting with his Daddy. Bill and I have such different ways of parenting. I'm a much more detail oriented person. I like to make sure that everything is washed and safe before letting Liam explore. I worry too much probably. Bill on the otherhand will plop Liam down on the carpet and surround him with toys. He doesn't worry about Liam putting things in his mouth, etc. He likes to let him go. I'm thinking that we balance each other out. I was a little worried that Liam would need some time to readjust to having Bill home, but it seems as though Bill never left.

I took Liam to our first mommy and me playgroup this week in Pembroke. They do offer one on the base, but I heard that the Pembroke one was much better (though 30min. away...ah well). I met some really nice mommy's there, and Liam seemed to have a ball with the other babies. My little people watcher. For the first 15 minutes he was content to just sit in front of me and watch everything going on around him. Eventually he dug into all of the toys that were there which was great. I am excited to go back next Tuesday now! Though the only thing I have to watch out for is trying not to brag too much about my little guy. Why does it seem more acceptable to talk about the bad things our kids are doing (they're up all night, they don't eat enough, they're not crawling yet, etc. etc.) when we're in a group of moms, then to talk about all of their awesome accomplishments? Two moms at the group were talking about how their 7 months olds were still getting up once overnight to have a feeding. They both looked at me, and I was like, geez...do I tell the truth...that Liam has been sleeping through the night since he turned 6 months old? I did, but I felt a little weird saying it for some reason. Like I wasn't part of that club. lol...I dunno...silliness probably. Maybe I'll be better next week when I can join the complaining about teething and lack of sleep. ;)

Welcome Home Husband!

Today is the day. The day that my husband FINALLY gets home! He called last night and said that they should be leaving Huntsville around 10 this morning, so they should be getting into Petawawa around 5ish. I can't even express how excited I am. It's like it's Christmas morning or something....or the day of a last exam before summer holidays. I feel like I need to clean the entire house and make something good for supper. Probably won't happen....being a mom seems to take up most of my time throughout the day...lol....but I can dream. I think I am going to make a list of all the things Bill and I need to get done in the next little while. We have an old couch that has been sitting in our small backyard since we moved in (it didn't really fit in the house...and I sort of despised the thing anyways..haha) that needs to be disposed of. We have to get our van all licensed and ready for the road. We need to do some serious gardening in the backyard so that I can feel good about my house (flowers just make me happy ok!). At some point we need to tackle the basement....Lord help us....it's a disaster zone. Full of all the stuff that didn't fit anywhere else when we moved in. We have valences to hang, curtains to buy, furniture to reorganize, plastic bins to fill, a real computer to set up (no more laptops for me hopefully!). GAH! So much.
Did I mention how exicted I am for Bill to get home??? I can't wait to see him with Liam again. Melts my heart to see them together. And I can only imagine how hard it has been for Bill being away from his son for so long.

I am thankful for......

Things I Am Grateful For:

- LIAM!!! Oh how I am grateful...thankful...in awe....of my wonderful son. I was holding him in the crook of my arm tonight, in our most comfortable rocking chair, in his room lit up only by his little moon lamp, watching as his little eyes got heavy and his little mouth sucked at his bottle. I found myself getting a little teary...thinking of how I can't stop time...he is going to grow and grow into the 1 year old, 2 year old, 7 year old he is meant to be. And I am SO excited that I get to watch. But so sad that he won't be my little monkey for long. He amazes me every single day. Today he played with blocks for the very first time. Really PLAYED with them....he picked each one up with his little hands, shook them, banged them....and just stared at them. It was fascinating and I was so very proud of him. lol. Doesn't take much to make me proud☺ Is there anything better than watching your baby sleeping?

- The Rain. Ok...weird....I shouldn't be thankful for the rain because I actually need to pack my car up so we can drive to the cottage first thing in the morning. But I am a sucker for the way the rain sounds as it falls, as it pours through the rain gutters. And I am a sucker for the way it smells, and the breeze it coaxes into my room. I have a gazillion things I should be doing right now, but the rain made me stop and just write for a moment. So thank you rain.

- Bill. My wonderful husband. We have been apart for way too long now, but we are soon to be reunited and I can't wait! I miss him so badly, and I love him so much, and I just really want to be able to watch him interacting with Liam. He is working so hard for us, and I so grateful to have him.

- My family!!! I can't even say enough. Truly.

Oh How I Miss You.....

Some of the things I have been missing lately.....
- Sleep! Oh sleep....you and I had a good run of it. Unfortunately my new little baby hasn't yet learned to appreciate you, so you will have to be put on hold for a little while. On the topic of sleep...I especially find myself missing those rainy mornings when I didn't have to go to work...when I could wake up at whatever time, go and make myself a hot cup of tea, read a book all snuggled in my bed, and fall back asleep for however long I wanted. AHHH. Pure joy!
- Home! The concept of "home" is so fluid. Bricks and stone make a house, but not a home. Home is a feeling, I think. A sense that as soon as you walk in the doors, you are in a place that makes you feel good and right. My house in Petawawa is not a home yet, especially since Bill has only lived in it for 2 days as of yet. I am hoping that once he gets back, and we do a little yard work and organizing, that I can reclaim a sense of being home. I hate this feeling of being loose in the world, like I belong nowhere.
- Ottawa! Okay...so I admit that I miss the big city. Bill and I had been talking for the last year about how we couldn't wait to get out of the city...get back to a smaller town where we could breathe a little easier, spend less time in traffic commuting everywhere, see the stars. Now that I am here, I miss the noise and the hustle and bustle that came along with city life. I always felt like there was so much going on...and at any moment you could go out your doors and find a thousand things to do. Here...not so much. My dog is probably very happy though, since the only thing I have really found to do outside my house since my husband has been gone is to walk the dog.
- B.C.! B.C. is always always always on my list of things that I miss. Sometimes I will get a wiff of something on the breeze, or I will see the sun setting just so overtop the trees, and my mind is instantly transported back to Vancouver Island. For those of you who haven't been there....GO! Go now!! It is honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been...and I have been all across Canada. I miss the smells, and the ocean....the way you can dig your feet into the sand once the sun has set and it is so cold. I miss walking through the forests there...all the ferns. I miss going on the ferries and feeling the mist from the water. Ahhhh. Bliss.
- Bill! I miss my husband. Oh so much. Everyday. Every moment. Most of the time I get by just fine...I just don't think about anything. It's those times when Liam is asleep and I am alone that I feel so deep down how much I truly miss him. We talk on the phone everyday, but its not the same. He is my partner in life and without him here I sort of feel like I am not complete.
- Books! A weird thing to miss I am sure, but I used to read at least one book a week in my pre-baby days, now I have been working on the same one all month. I am a self-admitted read-aholic. Give me the choice between tv and a good book and the book will always win hands down. Lately though, sleep has been winning out over reading. Any free time I have is spent on so many other things (including this blog today) that reading has fallen to the way side. Sad.

And it starts..

So I found out tonight that Bill may be going away for about a month in June to help out with the G20 summit in Toronto. For the past few weeks he has been stationed in Petawawa...basically just waiting for our move date and killing time. He was asked to help out with the field cooking unit, and I guess they like him because since then he has helped with a mess dinner, and been asked to help in Toronto. I knew going in that being a military wife can be challenging sometimes. You move around a lot, you are always having to make new friends, and your spouse is often away. But I kind of thought that we might at least have a few months of normalcy before he would be gone again. He left for Basic Training in October 2009, came home for the birth of our son in December and was home for a month (half of which was spent in hospitals for our little guy), and it is now almost May 2010. I feel a little sad for Bill and Liam mostly...by the end of June, Bill will have essentially missed half of his first year. Time he can never get back. I try to let Bill talk to Liam on the phone every time he calls, and Liam always smiles...but I just wish he didn't have to go away again so soon. Complain complain, I know. I am very good and putting on a brave face and just getting through things, but I wasn't expecting this. And I was so darn excited when he called tonight because I knew he would be home on Friday and that was it for us being apart. SAD! :(

I'm a lapse blogger already..

So I thought I would try this blogging thing, and I did okay for the first week, but then life just got in the way. My son has been reverting back to his newborn days it seems lately...getting up many times a night for no apparent reason....so I am pretty much just always exhausted. I promise I will never again take for granted the fact that I have a loving and supportive husband!! I miss him more than I can say right now...especially on those long, sleepless nights. He graduated this past Thursday from boot camp, and he is now in Petawawa awaiting further instructions (which I am hoping say "Let's get your family here as soon as possible to join you!").
Last Monday I took Liam for his 4 month Dr's appointment and shots. I am always so excited to see how much he weighs, etc. He is doing fabulous!! Our doctor loves him...he is always so super well behaved in the office, and he flirts/smiles at everyone. He doesn't even seem to mind the needles too much...just a little cry and then it's over. Ever since I was in the hospital with him when he was 12 days old, I find I can handle pretty much anything to do with needles, etc. I guess because we've been through much worse (3 lumbar punctures anyone!). After his appointment, I packed him and Chloe (our dog) into the van and drove three hours to Trenton where I was staying with Bills parents. Liam is an excellent traveller I have to say! I've done the round trip to Trenton/Ottawa about 4 or 5 times now, and he pretty much just sleeps for the entire trip. I actually love the drive: I can Liam in the mirror so I know he's safe, Chloe sleeps, I can listen to adult music, I get some time to think about what ever I want...oh so many reasons!
From Monday until Thursday Liam and I visited friends and family. We were able to see my old boss Mary Ann and her daughter Katie who is 2 years old. Liam got LOTS of time with all of his grandparents which he just soaked up. He truly is a blessed little guy...he has so many people who love him to pieces.
On Thursday morning (SUPER early...I even left the house before Liam woke up!) I drove Chloe to a boarders/doggy day care. Drove home to find Liam awake and hanging out with his Grandma, waiting for me to feed him. As soon as he ate, we left for Barrie and Bill's Graduation. Liam was awesome on the way down, and it was fun for me to get to sit with him and play a little before he fell asleep. I won't go into much detail, but Bill's graduation was lots of fun. Liam loved all the bag pipe music, and watching all of the soldiers march around. He was SO good the whole time....just a little cranky towards the end of the ceremony because he was getting hot in his dress clothes. I took off one layer, gave him some water and he was a-ok :) Bill looked so handsome in his uniform!! I was such a proud wife that day. I had hoped that we could take Liam for his first swimming experience in the hotel pool...but silly mommy, I forgot to pack my own swimsuit....plus the hotel ended up being not so great (way to go Father-in-Law who chose it!!) and I didn't really trust Liam in their pool. Another day I guess.
We drove back to Trenton on Friday with Bill (WOOHOO!!), but Liam cried a lot of the way home, so it was a long haul. It was super great to spend time with my husband...especially since his birthday was on that Saturday. He had to go back to Borden on Sunday, so Liam, Chloe and I left back to Ottawa on Monday.
All in all..it was a long week, but it went by fast! I always wonder if it is good for my son that I take him so many different places? Should I just stay at home more often with him to give him a break? Or is it good that I exposing him to new experiences all the time? I dunno...just a thought I often have. It's a fine line I think.

AHHHH...SPRING!! I LOVE YOU!

Spring has truly arrived in Ottawa as of today. GORGEOUS outside today!! I took Liam and Chloe for a walk this afternoon like I usually try to do, and Liam didn't even need a hat or winter coat anymore...I just bundled him up a little in his blanket. He fell right asleep what with the sunshine and fresh air. It was great. I usually try to do the long block on our walks...but today my body complained and I listened. We cut across this park near my house which made the walk a medium one. Ah well! What are ya gonna do. I really want to try and get more fit now that the nice weather had arrived. I did pretty good losing most of my baby weight pretty quickly...but now I have the hard job of trying to lose the extra flab (lol...what else can ya call it?) and tone up a bunch. I have to say though...my arm muscles are doing pretty darn good! Lifting a baby in a carseat all the time, plus groceries, baby bag, etc....equals a good workout.
As I write this, Liam is asleep near me. Naps that begin at 6:00pm are SO not my favorite! But I could tell he was super sleepy, and he was starting the crying for no reason thing....and he just needed to rest. So what am I gonna do....not let him sleep. I'm just hoping it doesn't effect our nightly routine too much. This week I have been quietly watching Sex and the City as I nurst him to sleep. So the time doesn't seem so long :)
Oops...little man is awake...gotta run!

Lovin' Spring!!

So...not the best night last night. Liam was up about 3 times throughout the night. I think his belly was bothering him a little...he would nurse and then fall back asleep within a half hour. Poor guy! He's always had issues with his belly...although things have been much better over the last month. I still give him Ovol sometimes which seems to help. Anyways though...we was up and at'em at about 7:30 this morning. I heard him wake up (he still sleep at the end of my bed in his pack'n'play), and he seemed to be quite content just talking to himself and looking around, so I let him be until about 8. It's so cute listening to him in the mornings. He's such a happy little guy I must say!

The morning was pretty uneventful. I nursed Liam for awhile (mornings are our snuggle/nurse times), and then, like usual, we played on my bed for awhile. Liam really likes to grab for dangling toys above his head now...so we did that for awhile. And he really enjoys tummy time! After play time it's usually nap time...so I got Liam all bundled up for the outdoors, got him in his stroller....and we took Chloe for a nice long walk. I LOVE the weather lately!!! I was SO over the whole walking the dog in the snow thing...plus baby. I always felt bad taking Liam out in the cold weather. As much as I bundled him up, part of me always worried that he would catch a draft somehow. Spring is MUCH nicer.

This afternoon I was brave and took Chloe and Liam for a drive out to Arnprior to visit our old nextdoor neighbor Cynthia, her son Tristan, and her dog Axle. Arnprior is only a 30 minute drive from Ottawa, and it so nice out today...I actually really enjoyed myself. Liam fell asleep right away...so the drive was great. It was super nice to talk to another mom. It seems that all moms have different tips and advice...and I latch on to any advice I can get these days :)

Liam fell asleep great tonight...he was snoozing in his crib before 8 o'clock!!! WOOHOO!!! So I was able to get his newest photographs organized and labeled. I always debate after he's asleep...do I go to bed early myself?? watch tv?? go online?? write on here?? Thinking I'll go to bed after this.

Boring post...sorry :)

Missing Bill

I find myself missing my husband like crazy tonight. He didn't have any training today, so he was able to have his cell phone and to call me a bunch of times. It was so great to hear his voice all day long, but it made me sad not to have him here with me. Since he's been gone, I feel sort of like I am always waiting for something. Waiting for him to call again, waiting for him to visit, waiting for him to come home for good, waiting to know where we are moving, waiting waiting waiting. I often have to remind myself to live more in the moment....because Liam is growing and changing whether or not I am paying attention or not...and I don't want to miss a thing!
My dear dear mom drove down from Trenton yesterday to spend the night with me and Liam. I have been having troubles lately getting him to fall asleep and stay that way, and I think she could hear it in my voice the last time we spoke. It is always SO nice to have her here with me. Just like me, she adores Liam...and I trust her completely with him. So in the mornings, she spends some time with him while I get another hour or so of sleep. I find my morning little sleeps are always the best. We all spent the day together today as well. We drove way out into the country to see my brother and sister-in-laws new digs. Pretty nice I gotta say! Huge!!
Anyways...not much to report tonight. Its earth hour, so I have no lights on as I write this. I probably shouldn't even be online technically...but my son actually fell asleep on time tonight...and I needed my computer fix :)

Just a normal day

Today was definetly a better day than yesterday...although not without its kinks. But I think when you are alone with a highly active dog, and a 3 month old...things are usually going to be somewhat challenging (yet SO amazing at the same time). Liam had a pretty hard time falling asleep last night...once he finally drifted off...he pooped (lol...sorry if thats too much info) which meant I had to change him...which meant he woke up. Blah!! He then proceeded to wake up about 3 or 4 times throughout the night (I lost track). Who knows what was up. I'm hoping for a better night tonight.
Miss Chloe had a vets appointment this morning at 10:30 to get a bordetella vaccine that we declined to get during her regular vaccinations because...famous last words....we NEVER board her. But we have to next month because of Bills graduation from bootcamp. All of the people who would normally pet sit for me are going to be there. Damn! I hate putting her in a kennel because they always seem so noisy..I feel like she's going to be scared without one of us. Sad. Anyways..she did great at the vet (she likes it there because she gets treats).
After the vets we headed over to my grandparents house. They have a huge, fenced in back yard that Chloe can run around in. I thought I would spoil her a little what with the needle and all. I attempted to take her and Liam for a walk...but Liam wasn't in the mood (I think he was still a little sleepy therefore cranky) so we ended up just going around a short block. Then my grams played with Liam while I ran around for a but outside with Chloe.
This afternoon was uneventful...but fun since I spent the whole thing playing with Liam in his room. We did some tummy time (he loves it...although it seems to be the spitting up time), and played some peek-a-boo (he's just starting to get the concept and think its funny), we exercised his little arms and legs to some music...and just had a grand ol time. Its funny how when you're a parent, you find yourself having SO much fun doing nothing really. Just getting to see him laugh and smile is the best feeling ever.
On another note....I can't seem to figure Liam and his napping schedule out! I can always tell when he is getting tired, but he seems to hate actually falling asleep. He pretty well ends up crying himself to sleep every time. Even when I am rocking him in my arms. I don't know what I am doing wrong...or what else I can try. He likes sleeping in his swing, but even then he cries before nodding off. I've tried putting him into his crib..and he cries. Gah! And even then..when he finally does fall asleep....its never for very long. Maybe 30 minutes top. And then he wakes up still tired but unable to get back to sleep. Poor boy! I'm hoping we figure it out soon.