Liam Jonathan at 1

I have seen a lot of ideas, again on Pinterest, that track each year of your child's life by giving a brief glimpse into some of their likes/dislikes at each birthday. With Liam's big 1st birthday now two days away, I thought I would try to do something similar here so maybe one day he can look back at it and smile. Although to say that Liam has like and dislikes would be a lie. The kid is all over the place so instead I will just write about somethings that I am currently observing.

Liam is ALL boy. He loves getting into everything. The few things we have to constantly say "not for Liam" to are the toilet and toilet paper, the dog bowl and the front hall closet which houses some golf clubs that he is dying to get his hands on.

Liam is very independent. Don't try carrying him up the stairs because he can get up there himself crawling. Forget holding the bottle for him any longer or expecting him to fall asleep in your arms. He goes to sleep in his crib now on his own, holding his bottle.

Liam loves bath time. He would sit it there for hours turning into a prune if we would let him. He splashes and laughs and plays and cries when it is time to get out.

Liam loves to eat! Another thing he would do all day long if I let him. His absolute favorites are bananas, green beans and cheese. Randomly he decides he doesn't want to eat something and peas go flying off his tray, but for the most part he eats whatever is put in front of him. He has also tried pretty much everything including peanut butter, fish, and shellfish.

Liam is a giggle monster. Some things that really get him going these days are playing "I'm gonna get you" or when Daddy gets hurt. :) He is also babbling a lot more and can even sometimes get out a "Hi" "Da" or "Mama".

Liam is anything but anti-social. Wherever we go, he is waving at everyone and saying Hi. When he sees other little kids he squeals in delight and walks right up to them wanting to play. The kid is not shy.

Liam is definitely starting to generate an attitude and know exactly what to do to get this way. Case and point, this morning he was walking around holding my hair brush and when I took it away from him so I could get ready, he let out the most pitiful (yet cute) cry and of course stopped the moment I gave it back to him.

Liam is a daddy's boy. I know kids usually go through stages but right now he is all about Dad. If Keith leaves the room for one second, he walks over to the baby gate and stands their grunting and whimpering until he comes back.

Liam will not stop for a second, hence the lack of picture on this post. I tried my hardest last night to get a picture of him but most of them ending up the top of his head or his back. Here's hoping that I can actually get a good picture of him on his birthday!

Liam, we love you and you have been an absolute delight this year. We are so excited to celebrate the big 1!We can't wait to continue to watch you grow and change year after year.

Pinterest Inspired

A LONG time ago, we were on a walk around the neighborhood and passed a house that had a big pile of "junk" in the front yard with a sign that said "Free". Having just discovered Pinterest a few days earlier, I decided to stop and take a look and see if I could find something inspiring. In the pile there was a old wooden two frame window. Not nearly as cool as all the multi-pane ones used for projects you see floating around Pinterest, but I knew I would regret if I didn't pick it up.
Well that window had been sitting out on the screen in porch for quite some time and this weekend it was time to actually do something with it.
I am not going to lie, Keith actually did most of the work on this project starting with breaking the glass out. He then sanded the wood down and the both of us gave it a quick coat of paint. He then attached a thin board (with our newly purchased staple gun) to the back of the frame.
On one side of the frame, I attached some cheap cork board that I just used a box cutter to cut to shape.
http://www.amazon.com/Cra-Z-Art-Classic-Tiles-Inches-12121/dp/B002M78G0K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1327935188&sr=8-4
And on the other side, thanks to another pin on Pinterest, I used this chalkboard contact paper (which was on sale when I bought it.)
http://www.amazon.com/Kittrich-Corporation-Chalkboard-Contact-Paper/dp/B000KKMO90/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1327935229&sr=1-1-spell
I have never used chalkboard paint but I have to say this contact paper was the easiest thing ever, just line it up and stick it on and there is no mess.

So the finish product is now in hanging in our kitchen and cost approximately $16.00. This is not the greatest picture (common theme to my blog) but I love it and I think it looks great. Can't wait to know write all my Pinterest found quotes on the chalkboard. Right now it says "Happy 1st B-day Liam!" (Only 3 more days!!)

Turner

So I apologize for the complete randomness of this post but today I am going to talk about the third man in my life... Turner.
This is for two reasons:
      1. When I started this blog I said there would be a possibility that Turner would pop up in my posts from time to time and then has yet to happen.
      2. Someone told me there were bored so I am trying to bring some mild entertainment to her life today.

Don't be fooled when I say that Turner is third man in my life, I don't really mean that with as much adoration as it comes across. But to get to where I am today, I guess I need to start at the beginning.

When my Dad and Ceil first got Biscuit (their first pug), I completely feel in love with the idea of getting a dog myself. Keith and I researched and decided that a puggle would be the perfect dog for me. Wanting to get a puppy and finding out that they were about $500 from the breeders was not my ideal situation though, so the dog dream went on hold for a bit.

About a year and a half later, I was talking to a co-worker whose mom had rescued a puggle from an unsuitable owner. The owner was keeping the dog kennelled up all day and only letting him out for bathroom breaks. I decided that I had to meet this dog.

Later that week, Keith and I went over to meet Turner and I should have been warned right there and then. :) The dog was nuts. He couldn't stop running around us and jumping up on our legs to be pet. But of course we fell in love. The next day Keith picked him up and brought him home for me. It did help that he came free of charge, updated with all his shots, a kennel, leash, dog bowls and a couple weeks supply of food.

As soon as we got Turner home, the craziness continued. We chalked it up to the fact that he had been kennelled for so long and he must just be so happy to be free and with owners that loved him. Every once in awhile he could settle down and just sit and snuggle with you which I know is what started Keith's love affair.

One weekend I was bringing him back from Keith's apartment to mine, when he threw up in my car. As I was driving, I couldn't tell exactly what was going on. When I pulled over and went to clean up the mess, I figured out that it was a sock, in its entirety, that Turner had thrown up. I got everything cleaned and got him up to my apartment just to have him throw up another entire sock about an hour later. Really, that first one was so good, you just had to go back for the second!

So that is how the next couple of years with Turner went, we loved him but the dog was crazy! When Liam came around, things drastically changed. For example, I no longer wanted Turner on the couch because his hair was everywhere and I just wanted a clean environment for my brand new baby boy. He was no longer free to roam the house because he could very easily get into Liam's things and God knows how many baby socks his stomach could hold. And the barking/crying/whimpering during nap and bed time was just not going to fly with me!

So not only was Turner adjusting to all that but he was also adjusting to not being number 1 in the house anymore. He has some pretty stiff competition and I think we are all still adjusting. Although he can be a major thorn in my side I know, and Keith reminds me of this all the time, that he has unconditional love for all of us. +
And the thing is as Liam gets older, he has more and more love for Turner as well. He quite frequently lets out a squeal when he sees the dog and is constantly trying to "pet" him. I know that growing up with a dog in the house will be great for him (although I also know that means we will probably have a dog for the rest of our lives and I don't know how keen I am on that.)

So even though Turner can get on my nerves and there are numerous times I let him get under my skin way more than I should, there is nothing like the companionship of a dog (for Keith and Liam ;)) and I think we will keep him for a while.

March of the Penguins

For those of you that don't know, the St. Louis Zoo does a "March of the Penguins" in the winter on Sundays at 2:00. As long as the temperature is below 50 degrees, they let a few penguins out of their cages and parade them through all the spectators.
Well we decided to check this out on Sunday.
When we first found our spot along the "parade route", Liam was all over the place. He kept walking up to all the other children around greeting everyone with a smile and a wave.

Once the penguins were let out, Liam actually let Daddy hold him and he seemed genuinely enthralled with the penguins and what they were all about. Of course as soon as the penguins were right in front of us was when my camera died and I had to pull out the trusty cell phone so these pictures are not as good.

After the excitement we ventured on to see the monkeys and then got Liam his penguin souvenir. As seen in the next picture, he really did have a great time and completely wore himself out!

So if you are looking for something to do on a cold Sunday, go see the penguins! :)

Macaroni Head

I know I already posted this on Facebook, but I just have to get it documented here as well. I am still laughing when I think about this. I was feeding Liam macaroni and cheese yesterday and he hit the spoon down. The macaroni went flying and here is where it landed and stuck!

He had no idea that it was even there and just went on smiling and eating as I was laughing uncontrollably at him.
This kid makes me laugh big time and not just when he has macaroni on his head. Every day he gets funnier and sneakier and I kept help but be amused. I don't know what we are going to do when it is really time to discipline him and we can't stop laughing at him.

On a side note we are only 11 DAYS away from the big 1st birthday! Can. Not. Believe. It!

Penny for Your Thoughts

I've got a lot on my mind today and it is really preventing me from doing any work! Nothing crazy that should be occupying my thoughts, just all of it together is.

Here's what's going on in no particular order.

I went to dinner with a friend last night who is 5 months pregnant. She was telling me about how she is not going back to work after the baby comes. Of course, I got completely jealous. Now, even more than ever, I have this crazy idea I just can't shake. What if we buy a new house with an amazing basement fully furnished with a kitchen and all other amenities? What's to stop me from starting my own day care? I would like to think I would have some built in clients with all the baby bumps I expect to start popping out any day now. And my friend and her new baby can come over everyday to help as well. For now, it will just be a dream that prevents me from doing my actual job every now and then. :)

Liam has been on a crazy sleeping schedule. I think his teeth are really bothering him. He has molars broken through now on both sides top and bottom. The past few nights he was up between 9 and 11 pm in a rage of tears and shrilling screams, coughing and tantrums. He just can not be consoled. Bottles, Tylenol, rocking - none of it does the trick like usual and we are left trying to console his screaming for a couple of hours. I am EXHAUSTED!

Liam's 1st birthday party is on the 5th. So far no regret RSVPs, so I thinking we will have around 40 people. My mom and I started making some of the decorations but I feel like there is so much more to get down. We have to get the balloons and cupcakes ordered and plan the menu. The Saturday before will be filled with cooking and putting together last minute decorations. Then getting everything set up Sunday morning just perfect before the guests arrive. All for the little bug who won't even remember it ;), but at least it will be fun for everyone else. Here is a sneak peek at the decorations.

I also have two other personal things looming right now that I can't blog about yet. Again, nothing crazy, just not ready for the whole world to know about them yet. A couple of unresolved situations that I hope resolve themselves in the next week and then I can share. Even did the Chinese law of abundance superstition to help me out. http://y98.radio.com/?s=law+of+abundance

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Busy

We have been busy. And like I mentioned in an earlier post, usually too busy to pick up a camera.

New Year's Day Liam woke up with a snotty nose that eventually progressed in a fever that lasted for 4 days! It was not until this Thursday morning that he woke up looking like himself again. Although he was a giant crabstick for the most part, it was nice to savor the super cuddly moments with him.

During the height of him feeling so horrible, we decided it would be a good idea to buy him his first pair of shoes. Whether this picture suggests otherwise, I can assure you he LOVES them. This morning he picked them up and walked over to me and starting crawling in my lap so I could put them on for him.

And through all the snot, coughing and raging fevers, I was still able to capture a few smiles with my phone.

Next big thing on the horizon is Liam's 1st birthday. Yes, you read that right, it is almost here. We are having a party for him on the 5th (actual b-day on the 2nd) and I will be busy the next couple of weeks finalizing all the details.

Hello 2012!

2011 was the best year of my life so far. This is because 2011 brought me my true love, Liam. :)
2011 also brought me lots of crazy weather, friends' weddings, awesome vacations, tons of long walks, great times with great friends, a second wedding anniversary and so much more!

To celebrate 2011 we had a "countdown to 8:00". We all know how impossible it is to find a sitter on NYE, so instead of fighting that battle, we all decided to just get together with the kiddos at 4:00, make and eat lots of food and wear our PJs. The Haarmanns have the best basement for it as there are toys everywhere and the kids had a blast. At one point in time I think we had 7 under the age of 4 running around.

Here are a few pictures of the kids having fun:

 It is a pink explosion down there. :)

 The arrival of Finn and Taylor.

 The girls having some appetizers.

 Liam held on to a drumstick all afternoon, so Jon brought the drum set out for him and he was in love!

As great as 2011 was, I am excited for 2012. I have BIG hopes for this year. I am not usually one for resolutions, but this year I have a ton of them for some reason. Well I guess they are not technically all resolutions, more just hopes for the year to come. So hear they are, well at least the ones I can share ;) (that really leaves you guessing doesn't it!) Also, I am not sure I have shared all these with Keith yet so he should have just as fun reading these.
-Make sure we are maximizing our 401K opportunities.
-Start making monthly contributions to Liam's college fund.
-A healthier lifestyle. Not sure what that all includes yet, but maybe a work out plan would be nice as well as eating at home more.
-Vacation. Hopefully a long weekend away for my 30th and a trip with friends and their children.
-Baby #2.
-Which means we will need a new house. Or at least get ours on the market in 2012.
-Get organized!

Hope everyone had as great as a 2011 as we did. Cheers!