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! :(