Spring, Oh Spring!

I am starting to sense spring in the air. Despite all of the snow and freezing cold temperatures, it's there...the way the air smells just a little sweeter, the way the birds are chirping more, the way the sunshine is starting to feel a little warmer...just something is saying that spring is around the corner! And I love it.

I can't wait to share this spring with Liam. His little legs will be able to take him so much further this year, and will let him explore so much more. We are already planning trips to the zoo, to the park, to the beach...ooohhh...so much fun!! :)

And the picture above is of a plant Bill and I have in our living room. Springy ain't it? :) We have no idea what kind of plant it is...we rescued it from Home Depot a few years ago when it was looking like it had seen better days. It only flowers once a year, but when it does, boy is it magnificent!! I guess it can sense spring coming too...

Sharing the Love

Our lovely artwork (Liams is at the bottom and hard to see with the silly gate in the way. Points for trying though right?)

Just stopping by to wish everyone a VERY happy Valentines Day. I have found lately that there are two camps of people...those that don't really believe in celebrating vday and those that do. I definetly fall into the second category. But I pretty much love all holidays. Any time I get a chance to dig out the construction paper and sparkles I am a happy girl. I cannot wait until next year when Liam is older and I can sit down with him to make some homemade cards. This year we sent out Daddy's coice...ummm yeah....Shrek Valentines Day cards. lol. But he showed his early Picasso side and did a little scribbling on each of them, so they were special and from his heart. Usually I do some Valentines day baking, but I things have been pretty hectic around here lately and I just couldn't find the time. Thinkin' I may still make some heart shaped cookies, just 'cuz I can. And they're yummy. And mommy surely needs her sugar fix these days! lol

Last week was one of THOSE weeks. You know those weeks where you just have to hunker down and survive? Yeah..it was one of those. Bill had just left for his training course in Borden a few days prior, when both Liam and his little friend Addy caught some sort of stomach flu. It was brutal. BRUTAL! I am not one to get queasy over, sorry for the graphic information, baby poop and vomit, but man was I put to the test. Poor Liam could not seem to keep anything down, though his personality didn't seem to suffer much, other than a whole lot more whining. I'm not used to having a clingy baby, but spent a lot more time than usual on my lap watching Tree House. And if I didn't pick him up fast enough, I saw some of these faces:

I think at one point I had to literally change his crib bedding like 3 times in one day, not to mention the number of outfit changes and diapers that we went through. Not fun! After 5 days of icky poop, Pauline and I decided to take the kiddies into a local clinic. We waited for about 2 hours (thankfully we have angel children who took it upon themselves to charm the whole waiting room), and were told to cut milk out of their diets completely, keep pushing the fluids, and offer them some Pedialyte. Liam loves the suff, so it not a hardship, and after a few days they were back to normal. The one weird side effect has been that Liam no longer needs a bottle before bed. Since I had to cut out milk for a little while, he wasn't getting that before bed bottle, and didn't really miss it. So I am currently undecided about whether or not to re-introduce it. I think at this point it would be more me not wanting to let go of my "baby" then him actually needed it. We'll see.... :)

We let Liam and Addy try Timbits for the first time once they were feeling better :)

Anywho, we survived the hell week and this past weekend found Liam and I in Ottawa hosting my sister-in-law Kathy's baby shower. It was a crazy hectic day, but it was so great to spend fun-filled time with new friends and old family (well..not old...you know what I mean!). My mom made some awesome goodies, we played some goofy shower games (like pass the dirty diaper..uh huh..that's right) and Kathy got spoiled as all mommys-to-be should. Now we just have to wait until May to meet the man of honour, Blake Harvey, who will make his debut on May 12th. Liam was awesome throughout the whole day, thanks in part to all of the help I had from those around me. During the main part of the shower he hung out in the basement with his Grandpa and Uncle Matt and had some boy time. He slept for a grand total of 20 minutes all day, but whataya gonna do right? And I got to see my niece Devyn that day, and if you've met Devyn at all, you know that she is like pure sunshine. Anytime spent with her is good for the soul :)

We drove home from Ottawa on Sunday, after stopping at Bill's sisters house to pick up an old crib that they are donating to the cottage this summer (I am going to deliver it to Bills parents house in Trenton the next time I visit there...probably in March). It snowed the whole way home, but whats new, and Liam fell asleep watching Toy Story with me in the back seat (my dad was driving just in case you were wondering what the heck).

Bill is working in the field AGAIN this week (go figure) so Liam and I are pretty much on our own again. I miss my hubby like crazy when he is gone, but one of the worst parts has GOT to be trying to figure out what to cook every night for dinner. Most of the time I would probably just snack on small things, but I have to make sure that Liam is eating a balanced diet, so I am slowing teaching myself how to cook. I am excellent at using the veggie steamer now if I do say so myself. lol. We do get to see Bill for about an hour each night while he runs in for a shower. I like that Liam gets some Daddy time in before bed. It always makes me sad when the two of them have to be apart for any length of time. They have so much fun together. Pauline and I have lots of plans this week as usual, so the time should pass by quickly, but I still can't wait to have him home for a little while.

Ok..well that's it for tonight. It is FREEEEEEZIIINGGG out (I just let miss Chloe out for her before-bed pee... BRRrrrrr) and I just wanna crawl under the covers and read a good book. And with Bill away tonight (poor man!) I can keep the light on as long as I want. Small pleasures right? :) Lots of love to you this Valentines Day!

Liam and I decorated the window with hearts. That's just how we roll around here. lol

The Joys of Teething

So when Bill left last Thursday, I was thinking about how quick the two weeks would pass by. He was gone from us for 6 months while he was at bootcamp, so I figured that 2 weeks was nothin'! But oh boy, these 2 weeks are a-creeping by!!

At the beginning of the week I started getting indications that Lim was teething (again! Really...it's never ending), but I couldn't find any signs of teeth. Yesterday I finally spotted the culprit....it's a darn molar coming in!! No wonder the poor guy has been acting cranky. We have still managed to get out there and do our normal activities, but as soon as we get home, the whining Liam emerges. And I am NOT used to the whining. My child is usually so even tempered and easy going. Who is this boy?? lol He has had a small fever on and off for the past two days, has been having crummy naps, and has been tossing and turning at night. So needless to say, he has a tired mommy who is desperately missing his daddy! lol The light at the end of the tunnel every day is bath time. Liam is, and has always been, a water baby, so the minute he hits the water, the crankiness is gone. I love bath time!!!!

On Monday this week we headed out bright and early to the Pembroke playgroup. It was super fun for the kiddies, and I really loved watching how well Liam is walking around on his own. In the last week he has really come into his own in the walking department. He still resorts to the crawling occasionally, but he was charming all the adults at playgroup with how cute his little steps are. He has lots of fun zipping around on all the different toys and climbing up the stairs to the slide. And he loved "driving" the boat :)

Liam and Addy playing in the ball pit. A bit of a traffic jam!

Liam is a multi-tasker! He carried this hula-hoop for a good 5 minutes :)

Just a cute picture!!

On Tuesday Pauline and I took part in our first step class. We left the kids in the daycare that was in the room right next door to the class, and apparently they did awesome! Liam crawled over to the play with the trucks, and then they had some water and snacks, and by then we were already done. Not one tear was shed :) Whew...now the class....I don't think I have worked out like that since highschool fitness class! lol My calf muscles are ridiculously sore today, like to the point where it is hard to walk up and down the stairs (which is a problem since I do this ALL day long!). But the soreness is at least an indication that I actually DO have some muslces still...they just need to be worked out more often. The class was all choreographed, so Pauline and I found ourselves quite "off" on a lot of the movements, but it was all women (of all ages) so there was no feelings of embarrassment or anything. I can't wait to go back :)

And today...was swimming day! It started snowing early early this morning (so I'm told), and by the time I peeked out my blinds at 8, it was a winter wonderland. I really think they should tell you before you move to Petawawa that it is actually the second North Pole. It does not stop snowing all winter long. I debated in my head for about a second as to whether or not I felt safe driving in the white stuff, but Liam loves swimming, and without an activity of some kind, my day with my teething lil man would have been SOOOOO long. So I warmed :up the van (thank God for automatic starters!), got Liam all buckled in, turned on some Baby Einstein for Liam to watch while I de-snowed the van...and we were off to pick up Pauline and Addy. The baby pool ended up being closed, so we had to take the kids into the "big" pool. There ended up being four of us moms there, so not busy at all....we had lots of fun teaching the kids to throw a ball to each other. And Liams little friend Gabriel was there (we haven't seen him in awhile since his Daddy just got back from Afghanistan and they were visiting family) so it was great to see him. We are going to his first birthday party this Friday :)

Since getting home from swimming it has just been about surviving until bedtime! lol Liam has a mini nap this afternoon, but woke up crying and wouldn't go back down. I gave him some Tempra again (I hate medicating...but he needed it), and we played for the afternoon. He has been super cuddly and whiney all day (love the cuddles, hate the whining), but I am very thankful that he went down to bed nice and easy tonight. Tomorrow we have no plans...maybe out into the snow to play? Chloe would probably appreciate some outdoor time.

Who wishes that spring would hurry it up a little?

Mommy agrees!!!

This and That

Some pictures of the last few days to start the blog off right :)

Gotta love the tongue..he must have been concentrating on calling someone important!

Liam fell and bumped his lip (lots of blood...scary mommy moment!) so he got to try a popsicle.

He may be cheeky sometimes...but he's cute doing it! lol

Uggh...it kills me that he is old enough to sit and hold his own bottle!

Eating mac and cheese for the first time. I debated...but I figured he should try it at least once!

Bill has been gone away on course for 4 days now (well...3 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes, 14 seconds...but who's counting? lol). I knew in advance of him leaving that I was in for a tough couple of weeks. My son is a MOVER!! As soon as he realized that those little hands and feet of his could take him places, he was off. He is not one of those children that will sit and read a book from front to back in one sitting. Most days I am lucky if I can get him to sit with me long enough to show him the brown bear and the green frog...someday we will make it all the way to the black sheep and the white dog I swear! So with Bill leaving, I was anticipating feeling a little extra tired at the end of the day. WHEW...obviously that was a mommy brain moment. By the time I get the lil man to bed, get Chloe taken care of, put away the days toys (which I have to do..it drives me crazy to wake up to a disaster zone in my living room), do the days dishes and do whatever other little random chores need doing (the poor fish gets fed like once every 2-3 days when I remember..he's a trooper), this Momma is ready for bed. But instead of bed, what have I done every night....watch Season 5 of Bones in bed on the laptop and read blogs. lol. Is is sad that I call that an awesome night? So I am feeling pretty tired at this point.

That being said, I have a pretty busy week planned for Liam and I. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we are driving out to Pembroke with Pauline and Addy to do the playgroup thing. Liam loves it because he gets to walk around with all these cool walkers and tricylces to his hearts content. I am going to try to keep him from spotting the toy shopping cart this time though...last week we had a mini meltdown when I wouldn't let him barrel through the whole room full of kids with it. I like playgroup because it gets all of Liams energy out, and we have tonnes of fun seeing the toddlers interact. SO cute :)

On Tuesday Pauline and I have signed up for our first Step Class at the Rexplex on the base. They offer supervised play sessions in the morning for children, so we are able to drop Addy and Liam off and do our class down the hall. I am feeling a little apprehensive about leaving Liam with strangers, but at some point it has to be done, and at least I am just down the hall. With Addy there, he may not even clue into the fact that I have left (here's hoping! Though I sort of do want him to miss me...lol).

Wednesday always finds us at our usual spot..the base swimming pool. Last week Bills mom was able to join Liam and I at the pool, but Pauline and Addy were not due to a miscommunication between her and her husband regarding their carseat. He held it hostage for the day while he was at work. lol. So this week we will all have fun together. Liam has recently mastered that art of blowing bubbles. He has no fear whatsoever. He just plops his little face right into the water and says "ahhhhhhhh" at the same time. My little waterbaby.

For the rest of the week...who knows. Probably some shopping (I am determined that I can make cute hairbows just like the people on Etsy...and even though I don't yet have a girl baby..lol...I am making them anyways! Girl power!!), some walking outdoors in the snow and sunshine, some fingerpainting, some attempting to put laundry away (but finding something, anything else to do..ha)...who knows.

Ode to a Van

Obviously not going to miss the old van!

A little dark, but oh how love our new van!

Even Mr. Liam loves the new van :)

I am absolutely LOVING my mini-van these days, and in response to those out there who think that mini-vans are ugly and not for them, I say if you have children....give them a chance!! Seriously!!! I would not be able to do half of the things that I do without my van. I travel almost every day with our friend Pauline and her daughter Addy. We are able to get the two carseats in there nice and safe, plus a jogging stroller, a regular large stroller, and everything else we need. At christmas we were able to carry ALL of our luggage and gifts home from Ottawa in one trip. Priceless!! Best decision ever!! And in honour of my new Dodge Grand Caravan, I have written this (HAHA!):

Oh, Dodge Caravan, how I love you!

You make things seem easy when our life feels like a zoo.

We can start your engine from our front hall,

And then jump in to have wonderful warmth for us all.

We used to have to struggle with our old, sad blue van,

But if anyone can make us forget it, you surely can!

I used to pray that there would be heat when we started,

Now I only have to worry about all the stuff I have carted!

I used to pray "do not slide!" when we would go out in the snow,

Now I just have to decide where to go :)

And in the old van it was hard to get the volume just right,

Now choosing tunes is as easy as flying a kite!

Though Liams carseat was safe in old Mrs. Blue,

I feel oh so much better when he is riding in you.

And before we did not have control of too much,

Now we can control everything with a touch.

And oh what to say about windows that don't have to be cranked?

Thank you, thank you, thank you....did I say you were thanked?

We love, we love you, oh our new red Dodge Caravan,

If anyone can make someone love minivans, oh YOU CAN!! :)

HAHAHA...hope you enjoyed my little rhyme! Can you tell I love my mini-van?? That's right...I said...I LOVE MY MINIVAN!!! :) And damn proud of it!

Warning: Extreme Mommy moment ahead....

Liam and Mommy when he was 7 weeks old

Liam now.. What a change!

I spent the whole day today with my little man, and I couldn't be happier :) Looking at him tonight while he was doing the "I'm so independant" thing, my heart just felt like it couldn't stretch anymore. I sometimes can't believe how much I love this little guy! Making him smile and laugh as much as possible is my mission everyday, and watching him learn new things just brings so much joy into my life. I am SO thankful that I get to be his mommy, and I cannot WAIT to see what the future brings. He is just so amazing to me. And I just hope that I can teach him what a wonderful world he has entered, and show him how fantastic life can be. Ok, ok..lol...enough cheese for tonight? lol I just wanted to say that I LOVE HIM!! :)

Momma Likee!! :)

Just a little something to get us started....haha

Today was one of those days where you feel busy all day long, but then your husband gets home and asks what you did all day, and as you are trying to think of all the things that you actually did, only a few come to mind. Then you find yourself wondering how the heck you felt so busy! lol Liam was up in the middle of the night, but I am trying not to pick him up anymore if I can help it, so I just soothed him back to sleep as best as I could. Then he was up at like 6:30. Thankfully Bill wasn't working until 9, so he got up with monkey so he could spend some time with him, and I got to rest a little bit more. I like to listen to them playing and talking in the mornings...soul food :) Once I got up and gave Liam breakfast, he was already ready for a nap, so I read for a little while and got a little more sleep (lol..it's a tough life I know!).

Enjoying his morning bottle. All of a sudden he has to do things on his own...:)

After our nap, Liam and I played in the living room for awhile. Read some books and just had some fun. Today he has mastered the signs for "more", "please", and "thankyou" (though I am not sure if he is saying thankyou or blowing kisses...either way, it works for me). Such a smartie! Then I was brave and took him and Chloe out for another walk. It was much smoother today though because I knew what I had to get ready, and in what order, and I went around a different route which included a downhill portion (ahhhh...sooo nice) and had plowed sidewalks most of the way. I was still exhausted and sweaty by the time I got home though. After lunch we headed on over to our friends Pauline and Addy's house to take some one year pics of Liam. He did NOT want to sit still at all, so we only managed to get a few good shots. Then Addy woke up from her nap and it was all over. But it was so much fun sitting and watching the lil ones interact. I swear, one year olds are the cutest beings ever!!! They are learning so much everyday, and everything is still so shiny and exciting to them. If only we could all harnass some of that enthusiasm for life, we would be set :) We stayed for supper with the girls, and then headed home (by then lil mans eyes were starting to close on their own).

Liam attempting to share the chair with Addy..

It wasn't working out too well for him (gotta love the buddha belly though right?) lol

Taking some time for a snack. He looks like such a big boy here to me.


I came home to the best surprise...a package in the mail. And I knew exactly what it was. And I couldn't wait to open it :) It was five pairs of brand-new, super cute baby legs!!!!!

Mommy Likee!!!!

Liam has been wearing the same pair of these things since I bought them months and months ago. We love them on him when we are staying around the house, so that his little knees are protected. And now we have lots to choose from. Gotta love the small things :)

Tomorrow....SWIMMING :) Can't wait!