Fully Dressed

There is a song in the musical Annie that says, "you are never fully dressed without a smile." I am very happy to report that as of last week, Liam is fully dressed. He is starting to become much more animated and I feel as though he is starting to imitate us. During activity time, Steve and I make faces at him and he seems to really enjoy it, although sometimes I wonder if he is thinking, "these guys are nuts". He has also recently noticed himself and spends some time admiring his cute little face in a mirror--I guess he can't resist either.
Here is some video of one of his first smiles; I also edited a small little coo that we heard. (Amazing what parents thrive on!)

Nurser(y)

I took some time off to watch Liam while Annika went back to her office today. Liam slept for two hours and then woke up hungry, so I put him in the Moby and gave him a bottle, which he chugged like a frat boy chugs beer. Now, he only drank about 3-4 ounces, not a pint (or yard), but still, he was hungry. After some activity time, he got tired and eventually fell asleep in the swing. It went very well and is the longest Annika has been away from Liam so far. He's got enough of a routine that we were confident that he'd sleep for most of the time she was at the office and only need one or two feedings (which we had enough milk for). I'm sure that once we get a routine down, he'll change it on us though.

Liam's activity times are still getting more interactive by the day. He "smiles" more each time and is more fun to interact with. Chicken Dance Elmo is still a favorite of his (thanks Beth) and, of course, he loves to stare at lights (and don't we all... we just switch from bulbs to LCDs and Plasma).

My mom bought a crib bumper and bed skirt from the Pottery Barn collection we used to decorate the nursery and worked with my dad to create a window valence and curtains for the nursery window. The valence is a section of the bumper pad that shows scenes from the Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme. They look quite professional and custom-made to fit our window and the decorations of the room. They also got us a diaper stacker and sewed a section of the bumper on it to tie it in with the theme as well. Thanks mom and dad!

The Not-So Earth Friendly Baby :(

I remember being pregnant and telling people that I was planning on using cloth diapers. I had gotten a recommendation that they are much more modern and easy to use--you just have to make the investment and pay the $15 a diaper price tag. After doing a little research, I found that you will change approximately eight thousand diapers per child; so, even though, the initial investment is steep, you end up saving money in the long run. Plus, I thought it was only fair that I go the extra mile in laundry for mother earth.
Neighbors, friends and relatives all asked me to let them know how long it was before Liam was in disposables. The answer is one day! It is not because Steve and I were lazy and didn't like the messiness or extra laundry--unfortunately, they haven't worked yet. I figured laundering his diaper, his clothes, my clothes, and the couch upholstery was worse for the environment than one disposable diaper. I haven't given up on them yet. I am still hoping that he will grow and they will stop leaking.


In honor of earth day, I wanted to show everyone these cute disposable diapers that Melissa, Kitty and my sister were all kind enough to invest in for us. They really are stylish and come in great colors. So, even if they are not as earth friendly as Al Gore would have liked, they might be in for Heidi Klum.

Better All The Time

Like the Beatles said: "it's getting better all the time." Liam is sleeping for longer stretches and when he's awake, he's more likely to be alert and curious than he used to be. He's also becoming more predictable:
7am wake up and eat a lot
1-2pm cranky for a bit and then a long nap
8pm get really cranky, take a swing ride and / or bath
8:30 - 9pm get into bedtime routine of sleeping with intervals drowsy nursing every 2.5 hours.

He's also been riding in his stroller on two walks each day with us and he tends to sleep through them.

This routine is good in a number of ways - he sleeps more at a stretch which means Annika does also; he sleeps more at night than during the day; and he's getting a bedtime routine established. His awake and alert "activity" times are becoming more fun because they are lasting longer and he interacts more by following objects and paying attention to things and faces.
This photo shows Liam during one of his activity times today, looking up at Annika with curiosity.


In this video, Liam is entertained by "Chicken Dance Elmo" a gift from my co-worker Beth. Note: Annika is off camera moving Liam's legs for him... he's not that coordinated yet.

One Month

Its been one month since we met Liam for the first time on his birthday. He's already grown so much! If he continues growing in length and weight like he has been, he'll be 131 feet tall and 1,568 pounds by the time he's 30! If he maintains his current length-to-weight ratio, he'll weigh only 36 pounds when he's 6 feet tall! That gives you an idea of how quickly babies grow at this age.

Over the past three days, Liam has gotten much better about sleeping. Its probably due to a combination of us figuring out how to meet his needs better, and him getting old and big enough to handle longer periods of sleep. Our friends Nate and Kris came over Saturday night for a wonderful dinner they prepared and a fun round of bridge. Liam was terrific throughout their stay. My parents came by Sunday and also brought Mexican take-out for dinner, which was delicious. As always, Liam was generally very sweet with the occasional crying fit. He seems to be cranky as we transition up to the bedroom at night and downstairs in the morning. He also seems to have an afternoon crankiness sometimes. Having just those 2 or 3 times a day is much more manageable than the less predictable patterns before.

We're also getting more competent and confident in soothing him. We've got the swing, Moby, rocking chair, pacifier, swaddlers etc. all ready to go as needed :) Taking him on a daily walk in the stroller also seems to help him calm down and sleep, and it helps us by giving us time to just talk like we always used to on walks. I think we're also finally starting to differentiate his hungry cries from his other cries which is helpful in quickly addressing his needs (and thus minimizing the crying). I'm very impressed with Annika's ability as a mom and I feel really lucky to have her taking care of Liam so much.

Happy 1 month Birthday.

It is hard to believe that Liam has only been with us for one month. Our days seem so full with him that it is difficult to remember what our lives were like as a childless couple. Steve keeps trying to convince me that it was easier for me when Liam was in the womb. I agree that, although I was less comfortable than I am now, it was slightly less hectic. But, neither he nor I would want to see him back in my belly. Holding him and watching him grow (he is a big 23 inches) is worth the effort. Happy Birthday, Cutie Pi!

Everyone told me that once I became a mom I would be so busy I would not be able to do anything else. The truth is that while I can't do anything else, it is not because I am incredibly busy. Instead, I find myself doing a lot of thinking while he is nursing or I am just holding him, fearful of him waking up at my slightest movement.

One thing I have been thinking about are expressions or actions that may have been brought on by raising a baby. For instance, why is it that when you can't sleep, people say to try to have some warm milk...the thought of warm milk does not sound that appealing to me, but if you look at it from a baby's point of view....

Also, as I pat my son's back continuously for hours, I wonder if this is where they get the expression "pat on the back." He seems to love it and for now it is the only "praise" he really understands.

I am now very clear on what is meant by the expression "big baby" or "being a baby." A baby is one who will cry at the drop of a hat or for no good reason. Sometimes, I am convinced, he cries just to hear how loud he can get.

I would also like to know where they get the expression "sleeping like a baby." It has been my experience that babies don't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time and seem to be startled awake by hitting themselves in the face with hands they didn't know they had.

I am sure there are expressions out there. Actually, I am sure I have thought of them at some point, but I am too sleep deprived to recall them.

Our Alien Overlord

Our magnificent, benevolent and omniscient alien overlord (all praise be unto him) is such a wonderful and wise ruler. We lowly slaves strive only to please his every whim (as is our duty and honor). For, it is only right for him to ask us to obey his every command. It is the natural structure of the universe (as we learned in our re-education). What difference does it make that we cannot understand his (assuredly superior) language? We are simply grateful when the overlord does not use his secret sonic weapon against us. In return for our efforts, his lordship will grant us periods of temporary tolerance, occasional bemusement and (when we are really lucky) ambivalence.

On a totally unrelated note, have I mentioned how much I used to hate sleeping in, going out to eat, and watching TV in a quiet room? Actually, this entire post is all a big [[REDACTED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION SHARING]].