A note from Liam

I don't know why my parents haven't posted in a while. I am obviously cuter and more interesting than ever; surely they have tons to talk about. In the last month, I have been to 2 new states (Michigan and New York), attended 2 big functions where mommy and daddy made me dress up, and have demonstrated my new communication skills--a kid can say 10 new words and yet not get a single blog post! Unfortunately, my parents didn't do a great job of taking pictures during all of these poignant times, but I will do my best to recapture some highlights. Let's start with Garvey week:

I took my first plane trip while being mobile--an extra challenge for my parents. I really like to look at planes in the sky, but once we were airborne, I quickly gave my parents the "All Done" sign. They didn't seem to get it though and they made me stay up in the air for another 90 minutes.




My Aunt Ria's un-wedding: It was a great 20's party--I am still a little skeptical that all of these people can really be related to me.








More to come--I need to get my parents to do the next post. It is exhausting watching me and trying to type on the computer.

Sweet Adeline

Liam is learning to share his house and his toys with our babysitter's daughter, Adeline--she comes part time 4 days a week now. The two were born mere weeks apart and show a blossoming friendship.


Meal times are always filled with laughter...


Enjoying the cool summer we have been having in their wagon...


Patroling the city streets together...


Trying to push each other off the couch...


But, possibly their most favorite activity is "Ring Around the Rosy" where they have mastered the "around" but are still working on the "down".

"The Knack"

 

As Scott Adams says in one of his Dilbert strips, Liam seems to have "the knack."

He's fascinated by mechanical and electrical devices and loves to "operate" them.

Recently, he learned how to take the vaccuum cleaner canister off and put it back on.

Now we just need to teach him how to dump its contents into the trash can :)

Mommy's little helper

I used to blame my lack of cleaning on Liam's need for entertainment--now I have no excuse. One of Liam's favorite activities is "helping" mommy. He likes to swiffer, is fascinated by the vacuum and he will even help me put away the laundry. The other day, I told him we had to go and put the dish towels away. He promptly picked one up and walked over to his play kitchen and put it in the sink!

Since I haven't posted in a while, I thought it would be nice to post a few more pics of the little guy.


Classic shmoosh the cat shot. I think this is only the 3rd on our blog--imagine how many more we have on our camera!


A look at his face while smooshing the cat. Couldn't be happier.


A visit from Uncle Muck wouldn't be complete without rock band.


One of the few family pictures that we have.

Kiss

I discovered that Liam learned a great new skill today - giving a kiss :) It's a wonderful new addition to our bedtime routine.
Liam is walking about 80% of the time now without help and I can tell we're on the verge of a new era of running after him. We took him to a terrific park yesterday with rubber padding all over the ground, and spent a long time following him around.

His signing vocabulary is getting bigger all the time and includes lots of animals (lion, cat, dog, pig, bird, fish...) and he's also starting to learn how to make some animal sounds (lion roar - which is adorable, woof, meow, moo).

On a visit to the zoo with his friends, he is fascinated by, of all things, a cow. To his credit, he did really like the elephant and the lion too--but he did indicate that the gorilla was a dog and had little interest.

Trying to play with the neighborhood kids that are twice his age, he ends up playing the role of the door-man.

Bedtime song

While we were getting Liam ready for bed (hence the sleep sack), he indicated he wanted the keyboard out. Apparently, he wanted one last bedtime song.

Stand Up

Liam continues to learn more each day.  He's added some signs, like book, dad, bird and done.  Interestingly, he'll sign bird when he hears one, even if he doesn't see one, so he's linked the sound with the animal in his mind.  One of his most powerful new tricks is to shake his head "no" and nod "yes."  This leads to a narrowing-down process where he'll sign "more" "book" and then we take out books one-by-one and ask if he wants that one until he gives an enthusiastic nod.  Of course, sometimes we have to make him do something he is clearly shaking his head "no" to (like leave the playground after playing for an hour), but that's just early practice for many years of not always getting his way :)

Liam's also getting more physically capable.  He can walk on his own for a few feet and stand himself up: