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.

Agghh!!

Today was such a beautiful day out!! The sun was shining, birds were chirping, trees are starting to bud...and I even saw some daffodils and tulips starting to grow. God I love spring!

The day started off well. Liam woke up at about 7:30 which is normal. I fed him right away, we played on my bed for awhile...I read him some books and he chewed on Sofie..he had a little teeny nap, and then it was meal time again. After that I packed him all up and headed out to Walmart to get some pictures developed. I finally managed to save his 3 month pictures to a cd last night, and if I don't get out right away to develop some, I end up with like 6 months worth of pictures to create. Not so pretty! So I've been really good about going in each month now. On the way I stopped at Tim Hortons for my requisite small iced capp (I know I know...its caffeine and I'm breastfeeding...but the teeny amount keeps me sane!) and was surprised to find that Liam was still happy in the back seat. Usually after about 10 minutes in his car seat, he realizes he can't really move around and he starts to get fussy (gone are the lovely days where he would fall RIGHT asleep as soon as we started the car). Walmart went well...we shopped around as the pictures were being developed. It was time for Liams nap right around the end of our shopping trip, and he started to cry a little...so I ended up swinging him in car seat at the back of the childrens department until he fell asleep. Good for the arm muscles let me tell ya!

After Walmart, came home, fed Liam again (geez he eats a lot...lol) and decided to take my dog Chloe for a walk. Liam usually really like going in his Snugglie, so I got him in his spring snowsuit thing and got him all set up. Finally found Chloes collar and got her all ready. So there I was...Mommy on the go with baby and dog in tow! I was seriously enjoying myself for..hmm...lets say about 5 minutes. Then I looked down! Seems that every person along our walk route had a party recently or something...there was glass everywhere!!! So I had to keep watching that Chloe didn't step on it. Then Liam started to get fussy because he hated his hat. So he kept turning his head back and forth trying to get it off...and the darn thing kept turning around so he couldn't see. So as I'm fixing his hat..chloe decides to run out into the road (I was using one of those extendable leashes and she NEVER does that!) just as I hear a bus approaching. So I quickly rein her in, take off the darn hat and pull his hood over his ears. Then miss Chloe decides its a great time to do her doody duty...so I get out my bag to scoop it up..while trying not to fall over because I've got Liam attached to me. GAH!! Then I'm starting to wonder why the heck I am SO weak...probably because I had forgotten to eat so far...I hate when I do that. Sadly it happens a lot..and totally not on purpose. Needless to say it wasn't one of our longest outings. As soon as we got home and I put Liam on the couch to take off his snowsuit...smile city :)

These are the kind of days that I seriously miss Bill. Even if he was at work, at least I would have someone to vent to at the end of the day...and maybe to rub my tired back. Ah well..I'll just put my feet up tonight after Liam is asleep...and dream of next month when my life returns back to normal. Whatever normal is....