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. ;)