Dear Liam...

  You are now 21 months old (soon to be 22 months old) and you are such a joy to me!  Somedays I feel like I spend every spare moment just staring at you.  Wondering how I got so lucky to have been blessed with having you in my life; wondering how you are growing up so dang fast; wondering what you will choose to do with your wonderful life; wondering how I don't just fall over all the time with how CUTE you are; wondering how you got so funny so fast; wondering what you are thinking about; wondering whether or not to cut that awesome hair of yours (the decision changes daily); wondering how I could ever love another child just as much as I love you.  And the list just goes on and on. 

 You are SO much fun these days monkey!  You smile all the time, you laugh when you think something is funny, you clap and dance along to music or shows on tv. You can point out all of your different body parts, and can even repeat a lot of their names when mommy or daddy tells you what they are.  You know SO many words now: purple (pretty sure this is your favorite color right now), mama, dada, nana, papa, truck, moo, dog, puppy, choochoo, train, banana (you say "nana" for banana)....and the list just keeps on growing.  I tell you I love you like a thousand times a day and I just can't wait until you can say it back.
  You have such a jest for life.  You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE trucks, cars, planes, trains and anything else that moves and makes noise.  This summer there was a lot of construction happening in our neighborhood, so you were truly in your glory watching all of the big machines.  You get SO excited when "Mighty Machines" comes on the tv.  We know now that we just need to stop anything we are doing so that we can stop and be excited with you.  You always point at the screen, make a "ooohhh" sound, and then turn back to make sure that we are SO seeing what you are seeing.  Too cute! lol.
  Mommy recently went back to work, which has been an adjustment for all of us.  You are not used to staying with anyone that is not mommy or daddy, but you seem to be having lots of fun with Pauline and Addy of the days that mommy is at the bank.  This week Daddy left to go away for week for 6 weeks, and I think that you have picked up on it.  When I went to drop you off at Pauline's today, you cried and clung to my leg (not something you usually do).  So I came in with you and hung out until you felt more comfortable.  It hurt to leave you today, but I knew that you were safe and happy, so we made it through.  Needless to say though, mommy's favorite days are the ones that she spends completely with YOU :)
  I would write about what your favorite foods are...but there are just too many to list! lol.  Here are some of your favorites right now:  pizza (typical kid!), bananas, grapes, cucumbers, cheese strings, goldfish crackers, mommy or daddy's cereal (whatever that may be...guess it tastes better from our bowls), freezies, watermelon, and cookies (of course).  We are SO lucky that you are such a good eater.  Thanks buddy!
 

We love you to the moon and back Liam, and cannot wait to see what the future will bring!
           Love Mommy

Potty Training Chronicles: Chapter 1

Liam is now 20 months old.  Waaaaayyyyy to young to start potty training right?  Well I may be bragging here, but my baby officially peed on his potty for the very first time tonight!!! Did you hear that? We had pee, in a potty, successfully....OMG!  
Bill and I bought Liam his little potty a few months ago, just to introduce Liam to the look of it, and to let him try sitting on it, playing with it..basically whatever he wanted to do with it.  A few weeks ago we decided to move it upstairs to the bathroom so that he could start associating the potty with the "big boy toilet" (k..trying to use appropriate words here..lol).  Whenever I change a poopy cloth diaper, I have Liam help me bring it to the toilet, and he gets to flush just to see what happens.  Gross? Too much information? lol.  Wellll...you may not want to read on then! lol

Every night before I give Liam a bath, I take off his diaper and have him sit on his little potty while I pour the water into the tub.  He always used to stand beside the tub while I was filling it, and usually ended up peeing on the floor...so I thought I would hedge my bets and plop him on his toilet.  And VOILA!  As I was filling the tub tonight, I look over, and there he is, peeing like a big boy.  I, of course freaked out (dunno if that's the correct response...haven't read the books yet..lol), praised him like craaaazzzzy and gave him a high five (that's the way we role in our family).  Who knew that a little pee in a little potty would bring such a high?

So I know it's early, and I won't be pushing the potty thing all the way yet, but it's nice to know that it is right around the corner for my little man.  Is it weird that I am looking forward to making a potty chart, getting out the colored star stickers and the smarties as rewards?  I can't wait to start doing things like that with Liam :)  Fingers crossed for some more potty time tomorrow night...stay tuned.  Looking forward to seeing that little tush in some spiderman undies sometime soon.

Come to think of it...Liam and I watched Elmo's potty training video on O, My Family yesterday.  Could Elmo have worked SO fast?  If so, WOO to Elmo! lol

Our Summer So Far

Okay...it has been awhile since my last post, but in my defense, it has been such a crazy, hectic, adventure-filled summer so far for the Adam's family. 
Liam is now 20 months old, and I cannot put into words how much FUN it is to be around him all of the time now.  He is one of the funniest little guys that I have ever met.  You can't be near him for more than a couple of minutes without cracking a smile.  I think his joy and jest for life are just so contagious....I spend my days with him just looking for that next adventure around the corner. 

I started a new job as a Customer Service Representative at TD Canada Trust about a month ago now, and the most difficult part by far has been leaving Liam for any amount of time.  He is being cared for by a dear friend of the family, Pauline, who has a daughter the exact same age as Liam (and by exact, I mean that Liam is literally only a few hours older than Ads), so I know that he is safe and comfortable and having lots of fun while I am at work.  But I am so afraid of missing those little moments with him.  Like he learned how to say "shoes" sometime over the last couple of weeks, and when I told Pauline, she said that she already knew, she had heard him say it a bunch of times.  I missed "shoes"!!!!  Working means more financial security for my little fam right now, so it is a necessary evil.  And I do get a strong sense of accomplishment from doing something new, and from helping to contribute to the well-being of my family...but dang I miss my baby! 

Hmm...how about a quick recap of our summer so far?  Or at least the parts that my mushy, overworked brain can remember right now. lol.  We are very much an outdoor family, so we have spent the majority of our free time in the fresh air. 

We have gone to our local beaches a bunch of times (we even found a dog-friendly beach nearby that we have loved going to in the evenings after dinner...there is just something about that time right before the sun goes down..magic). 

We went to Trenton for a (way too short) visit with my mom and some great friends.  My mom and dad moved into a new home this summer, so I had to make a special trip to say goodbye to the old pmq.  So many memories...but oh so many more to be made in the new house.  We had lots of fun with our friends Amber and Alexis while we were down :)

We have been to Ottawa a bunch of times for different things (ie. getting Liam fitted for his first suit...omg...CUTE x1000!).  As much as I am learning to appreciate Petawawa and its natural beauty, it is nice to head on back to the city occasionally.  Though we always breathe a little sigh of relief when we exit the rat race there. 

We have been to the cottage as much as possible (it's our version of paradise, and I am so pleased to know that Liam will truly grow up there), and have had the pleasure to share it with new friends and old family.  We brought Pauline and Addy up there for a weekend with us, our good friend James spent some time there with us, and my dad came up with me last time.  I spent my first week away from Liam and Bill (okay..4 whole days...but it felt like a week); I had to work, and Bill was on vacation, so we decided that him, Liam and Chloe would stay up at the cottage with his mom while I returned home.  It was such a weird experience to have quiet time to myself...to clean the house and actually have it stay that way for more than 10 minutes was wonderful...but to come home to such peace was a tad unnerving.  The look on Liams face when he first saw me back at the cottage was worth it though :) 

We have been fairly successful growing our first gardens in our front yard.  I'm thinking maybe I need to devote a blog to the garden soon, there is so much goodness there.  I brought Liam outside with me tonight just before bathtime to water the garden, and the first thing that he did was wander on over to the strawberry plants, point, look at me and said "uhhh" (which in Liam language can mean one of many, many things...apparently Bill and I have the dictionary hardwired into our brains, so in this case I knew it meant that he wanted one).  I love that he can do that.  Just pop on over to his own garden, and grab a fresh, pesticide free, organic snack.  Awesome I tell ya!  We even snuck a taste of the carrots that are growing...though they are the smallest ones ever.  Not too sure we're going to have much success with them this year.  Ok..onwards.....lol

We spent this past weekend back in our home town of Trenton, Ontario, attending the wedding of my best friend Nichole to her, now husband, Dave (the wedding itself was held in Picton, Ontario).  I was a bridesmaid in the wedding, so there wasn't a free moment the entire time I was there...but I hear that Bill and Liam had a great time hanging out with Bills parents and just relaxing.  Bill's mom is always at Liams beck and call, so I know that he was well spoiled.  And he got to spend an afternoon with my parents, where I'm sure that there was even more spoiling happening.  It is all good....family can love and hug on my baby as much as they want!  Liam was the ringbearer in the wedding, and he did such a fantastic job.  My friend Amber and I worried about how well our children would "perform" that day, and they both did WAY above our expectations.  That will teach us to underestimate them!  The wedding day was beautiful, and rustic, and so much a reflection of my good friend Nichole.  I had the best time, with the best people, and I was a little sad to leave it all behind to return home.

Now we are home.  Bill is currently working out in the field, which means that he comes home at night for a quick shower and change of clothes, and then is gone again.  So it should be an interesting next little while.  I work for the next two days, but then get to spend two whole days with my little man which I am so excited for.  What with our crazy schedules lately, I have been feeling a little robbed of time with him.  And he is changing and growing so very fast these days...I don't want to miss a thing.  I took him to his old playgroup today with Addy and Pauline, and I was amazed at how well he was interacting with the other kids, and at how well he was able to concentrate on little things (like playing with the trains at the train table...he played there for a good 10 minute stretch...amazing for my go-getter).  We will definetly be going more often now that we see how much the kiddies love it right now. 

And that is about it (or all I can recall right now.....fading....fading...lol).  I am off to work on a Halloween tutu for my little business Pauline and I have started (because I just didn't have enough on my plate already..HA).  Little PAAL's...check us out..just sayin' :)  Nightey night ya'll!

Goals

I'm gonna be brave and write these words down so that I can't take them back.  I have been finding lately that being a momma is taking up all of my time.  I absolutely adore it, don't get me wrong, but I think that I need to try to find some things that make me happy outside my little family.  Things that remind me of who I am, who I used to be, and who I want to become.  We all have those things that make us unique...that make up who we are...and it is easy to get swallowed up in the everyday, so much that we forget to spend a little time on ourselves.
That being said, here are a few things that I would love to accomplish in the near(ish) future:      

* Take a French course.  I live in Ontario which is a very bilingual province.  Most (good) jobs that I am qualified for require french.  Also, the base offers free language courses for military spouses, so I really have no excuse not to take advantage of that!

* Run a marathon with my hubby.  Not going to be a full marathon, you can bet on that.  But I think it would be good for us to train for and accomplish a goal together.  And it has always been a secret dream of mine.  Time to take a risk.

* Go to the zumba class I recently saw advertised in Petawawa.  Have fun getting fit...sounds like a good plan.  And on that note, I will just add that I would love to lose a good 'couple'  of pounds (leaving it at that..lol).

* Get CPR qualified.  Again, many of the jobs that I would love to apply for require CPR training.  So what is stopping me?  Just have to carve out a weekend and DO IT!

* Do something wild and crazy!! Like go white water rafting, or ziplining, or hike up a really big mountain.  haha.  Just something out of the ordinary, that gets my heart pumping...and lets me say "I did THAT"

* Take Liam to a zoo.  My little man loves animals...so I really hope that an opportunity arises to take him to see all sorts this summer.  Geez..i can already see that big smile of his :)

* Dig out my paints, my easel, and some canvas.  Set myself up outside, with a nice cold glass of something, barefoot.  And just paint.  I used to love painting, and I would love to get back to it.  There is something so freeing for me in turning something so plain, into something colorful and beautiful.  I would also love to get a huge canvas and let Liam walk all over it with some paint.  I think it would be so much fun for him to just be creative with no boundaries. 

* Work on my little home business.  My good friend Pauline and I have been getting together every week to work on making homemade hair bows, felt flower clips, and whatever else our crafty brains can cook up.  We would love to start selling our wares (since we enjoy making them so much!), but we haven't gotten our butts in gear as of yet.  So I need to get on that.  We have a name..that's a start.."little Paals" is born (stands for Pauline, Addy, Amanda, Liam..just FYI..lol)

Okay..well that's all that I've got for now.  The words are out there..so no turning back!

P.S.  Bill is finally HOME from the field :)  Life can go back to normal again...woo!

The Perfect Day!

Today was THE perfect day! Crazy, insanely hot out...but we had so much summer fun :)  Liam and I were up pretty early, and we headed out after a quick breakfast to go pick up Pauline and Addy.  We took Chloe and the kiddies for an early morning walk to Timmies to grab some much needed Iced Capps (seriously...MUCH needed! lol).  By the time we got home we could already tell that it was going to be a sweltering day out.  So we got Chloe all situated at my place, packed up the van and headed out to the beach.  WOO Beach Day!!!  There was only one other Mom and bebe there, so we had the whole place basically to ourselves (the other little girl, named Shea, was in love with Liam and Addy). 

Liam, as always, had to sit back for a little bit to take it all in.  By the time we left the beach he was playing up a storm, but my little man takes a little bit to warm up to new situations.  Plus he is teething like a mad man these days, so his temperament has been a little off.  He love, love, loved playing in the sand...burying his feet and legs in the coolness of it.  And I could see the joy in his face each time he discovered something new..like the way the sand felt falling through his little fingers, or the way the mud squished in between his toes.  Is there anything better than watching your child experience the world on his own two feet?  Normal, everday things just seem all sparkly and new again. Thanks buddy, for showing me the way! 

Miss Addy is a "jump right on in" kinda gal.  As soon as she spotted the water, she was off.  She pretty much hiked right on in, despite how freezing cold it was, and got a little peed off when she realized how dang frigid it was.  She was on the go, go, go all morning long.  I think she's a beach girl for sure.

It is so much fun for me to watch how well my boy gets along with Addy.  They are so blessed to have one another, and I am thankful for Pauline and Addy ever single day.  Liam and Addy's personalities mesh SO well together...and they are just so funny when they are interacting nowadays.  Best pals for sure.

After our fun at the beach, we headed our seperate ways to give the kiddies some lunch and a chance to nap.  Liam didn't eat much..probably due to it being so hot out...and didn't sleep much, probably due to the same thing.  I called Pauline at about 4 to say that we were taking the kids out to Kelseys for supper (air conditioning and not having to cook...perfect plan!).  It is mine and Bill's 3rd anniversary today, and since Bill is still out in the field, Pauline was his stand in for supper out. lol.  The kids were both pretty darn hyper, but we had a good meal anyways.

 Addy likes to share...and Liam likes to eat.  It's a friendship made in heaven!

This post would not be complete without a little homage paid to my wonderful husband.  Bill and I have been "together" for 5 years now...married for 3...and I feel so wonderfully thankful to have him beside me on this journey.  We fight, and whine, and cry....but we go to bed every night loving each other.  And that's what matters.  He still compliments me each and every day, he is a wonderful father, he loves his family, he works so damn hard to take care of Liam and I...he is just amazing.  And I am reminded today about how lucky I am to have found him.

 From those early, lovely, carefree "dating" days...ok, not so carefree. We were both working full time, and I was finishing up my B.A. at Carleton U.

 To our awesome summer weekends spent at the cottage...falling more and more in love.

 To moving in together and our first apartment in Ottawa (this is us walking to Starbucks on New Years Day)

To truly, madly, deeply falling in love and getting engaged on Christmas Eve.

And to living Happily Ever After. 

Bill, you are my rock, and I love you more everyday.  Here's to SO many more years of love, adventure and happiness (and one year closer to our 10th Anniversary where we will renew our vows in Hawaii...ALOHA!! lol).  Love you.







One sick toddler = One tired mommy

My son is sick, sick, sick with a cold...which makes me sad, sad, sad because there is not too much that I can do for him.  Bill left yesterday bright and early for an 11 day field training exercise, and wouldn't ya know it?  Liam fell ill that same night!  The last time Bill left for an extended amount of time, Liam got a really nasty stomach bug that lasted for almost the whole week.  Sometimes the universe has a mean sense of humor!

Last night my lil man was up from 11pm onwards, in 30 minutes intervals.  I have never been one for co-sleeping (not making ANY sorta comment on it one way or the other...I think it's great to do if it works for your family),  Bill and I just move around too much as it is (me especially..I can never seem to get comfortable).  But last night after the 6th unsuccessful time trying to get LiLi to sleep in his own crib, I totally caved and brought him in to sleep with me.  I figured since Bill was gone it would be okay.  And it worked for about 2 hours.  Then 6am rolled around, and that was it.  We were up.  So I stumbled us downstairs, turned on some VERY early cartoons, made some toast and peanut butter...and we chilled like that for a few hours. 

I know the only reason he wasn't sleeping was because he is so congested, he just couldn't breathe, and I feel for him.  But boy oh boy...sick days..alone with a toddler...are THE longest days ever!!!!! I felt like it was 10 o'clock every time I looked at a clock.  The seconds just ticked by as I wiped the endlessly runny nose, filled the sippy cup over and over, and thought of things to do inside on this rainy, crummy, cold day (that didn't involve my son watching Handy Manny ALL day long..I'm actually starting to see re-runs..it's that bad! Have I failed parenting one-oh-one? ) 

In the end, we survived.  Liam had a couple of very short naps which gave me a little time to recoup.  We did puzzles, built block towers, colored with crayons, emptied the pot cupboard (lil monkey loves to do that!)..and I even somehow managed to make oatmeal and shortbread cookies.  BooYA! lol (Forgive me..I live on an army base).  I gave him a warm vapor bath, put some vapor rub on his feet and chest, put some saline in his nose and, blah, squeegeed it out, gave him some Tylenol Cold and Flu for babies, dressed him nice and comfy, gave him some water, and even put a small pillow in his crib with him for the first time (makes me a leetttllle nervous, but many friends of mine have told me how well their children do with it).  Fingers crossed this momma gets some sleep tonight.

Not a pic from today..but he looks darn cute so I'm posting it in lieu of the runny nose boy today.

P.S.  Sorry for the sicky post.  I swear..my brain is so tired today that even if I wanted to write about something more interesting, the theme song from Max and Ruby would pour out!

Welcome to the world Blake :)

For the second time this spring, I am a new aunty.  I would like to officially announce that I have my first NEPHEW!  Blake Harvey Vieau was born on May 4th, 2011 at 9:50 pm.  He weighed in at 10lbs 7oz and was 22 inches long.

My sister-in-law, Kathy, was due to deliver Blake via scheduled c-section on May 12th.  But due to high blood pressure, and Blake's obvious readiness for the world, she was admitted to the hospital on May 4th.  Blake arrived that evening to the joy of all of this family.  Liam and I made the drive to Ottawa 2 days after his birth, and were able to visit him in the hospital on Friday evening.  I was a little worried about bringing Liam to the hospital due to his high energy levels these days, but my mom and dad lent a hand and I was able to hold the bebe for a little while.  Blakester is the CUTEST lil thing ever.  He has these sweet chubby cheeks, great skin coloring, and the cutest lil lips.  I feel so blessed to have three wonderful nieces and nephews now :)

Liam and I stayed in Ottawa for the weekend to visit with all of our family that was down to meet Blake.  On Friday night we visited with Aunt Mary, Uncle Gary and Kelsey.  Kelsey just returned from a year long trip to Europe where she went to school.  It was SO fun going through all of her pictures.  Amazing to see all of the awesome sites she got to visit!  I am a little (oh ok... a LOT) jealous! lol.

On Saturday we sort of hung around my Grams and Gramps house for most of the day.  My Uncle Dave and his partner Gary arrived, so we were super happy to get to see them.  Liam always seems to take right to Uncle Dave...by the end of their time together they are the best of pals.  There is SO much outdoor space to play in at my grams house, so Liam is in his glory pushing a little baby carriage around and exploring the yard.  I love to just sit back and watch him taking everything in.  On Saturday we also made a "fun" trip to Bayshore to see if we could buy a litle lawnmower for Liam to play with.  I loaded Liam up in the van and took off.  It took us forever in Zellers to find someone/anyone who knew about the toy department, just to find out that they had already sold out of the lawnmowers.  So I figured that we would just explore the mall a little bit since I am mall-deprived in Petawawa.  Children's Place was a bit of a bust (I already have the cutest things from there...lol), as was Baby Gap (the cutest things were WAY to expensive for this momma currently).  I thought we would do one last stop at HomeSense....bad idea....Liam had had enough of the oh so hot mall and started to get really fussy.  I didn't finf anything the whole trip that I wanted to buy, except for a super cute little cooler for Liams friend Addy.  Ah well. 

Sunday it was time to drive back home...and it was also my second Mother's Day.  I got spoiled by getting the chance to sleep in a little bit (my dad and Grandpa took control of Liam...though I think the love it just as much as he does...boy time).  My grandpa walked to Timmies so I had an iced capp waiting for me when I woke up (LOVE him), and my Uncle Dave and Gary made an awesome breakfast for us all.  Very good morning!  And Liam was in his glory being loved on by all of his family.  After breakfast and a little hurried packing, we were off.  We stopped at IKEA and Michaels to do a little browsing (the couch Bill and I want from IKEA is now a $100 cheaper..woohoo), and then we drove out to Matt and Kathys for one last Devy and Blake visit.  I am sad that I don't live a little closer as I had so much fun watching Liam and Devyn playing together!  I think they are going to be best friends growing up :)

Since we returned we have kept busy (as always!).  We have been going for daily walks with Pauline and Addy which is great for all of us.  The kids get out of the house, Chloe gets nice long walks, and Pauline and I get some exercise.  I am trying really hard lately to start living a more healthy lifestyle.  Eating better, drinking more water and far less pop, and upping the exercise.  Here's hoping that it pays off :)  Today we also stopped to let the kiddies play at the park.  Fun :)

Tomorrow it is suppposed to be gorgeous again, so we are heading out for another walk, and probably hitting up the beach for the first time this year.  Addy and Liam LOVE the play in the sand now, so I think they are going to be in their glory when they see that beach stretching out around them.  I feel like it is Christmas morning so often these days....whenever I know that I am about to show Liam something new and exciting.  I get that little flutter in the pit of my stomach, and I just can't wait for that moment of joy in his face.  Like the first time he saw that little lawnmower all put together (yes...I finally found one at the Zellers in Pembroke on our drive home on Sunday.  Made a little pit stop).  Bliss!

Yeah...this is about the nicest self-portrait I can get of the two of us.  At least he's not blurry in this one..my little mover!

P.S.  I got my Mother's Day gift in the mail today.  An Organic Ergo baby carrier.  Can you say EXCITED??   Can't wait to try it out!