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!