Liam is officially a big boy! We've been meaning to clean out all the "baby stuff" from his room and give him more play space for months now. Unfortunately, the pregnancy, then miscarriage, work (Kevin), stomach flu (this week) and a vacation last week (Liam/mama)/business trip (Kevin) kept us from doing so. Feeling somewhat better (finally!) we decided to change that. We threw away paci's, bottles, burp cloths, took out the changing table, moved some furniture around, added some toys and have plans to get him a race car bed/room theme when he's ready. It's Liam's fresh start with only big boy things! Here is Liam's new big boy room where he has more space to spread out and play (which he does a lot these days).
We always take a booster seat when we eat out and Liam does so well with it, we decided to convert his high chair into the booster seat (love our new convertible high chair!). Last night was his first night eating like this and he did great. He was so proud of himself sitting next to daddy. I realized as I watched him put his spoon to his mouth, eat with his fingers, drink from a straw and a cup (with daddy's help) that if we want a baby, we'd better have another, as Liam is certainly NOT the baby anymore (but will always be my "baby bear").
On to the stats:
--Liam wears size 4 diapers as of last week
--Liam wears 12 month-18 month clothes (his head is getting hard to fit into 12 mo. clothes, some 18 mo. clothes fit perfect, others are a tad bit on the larger side, mostly the arms, but the collar goes over his head so much easier, so mama tends to lean toward 18 mo. clothes these days!).
--He weighed in yesterday at the hospital at 22.8 lbs (we had an er visit yesterday, as mama/dada had the stomach flu, Liam checked out fine, as he had already had a day of vomiting and two days of diarrhea. Kid amazes me... we never even knew he wasn't feeling good, just thought he ate something that didn't agree with his tummy, until we both came down with the flu).
--He's approximately 28 3/4" tall. He's not very tall, but very solid. Everyone comments on how thick he is! Like carrying a sack of bricks, seriously. My almost 4 yr old nephew is easier for me to carry (honestly!).
--He takes one nap (was taking two again at Grandma/Grandpa's--they wore him out, but at home it's one nap). Usually from about 1-2:30/3pm, but since the stomach flu and vacation to grandma/grandpa's, it's been more like 12:30-2/2:30.
--He goes to bed around 7:30/8 and usually wakes up around 7:30/8. Any earlier, we listen/watch him on the monitor as he fusses a little, then plays and reads and usually ends up going back to bed for a bit (after getting a clearer video monitor, we noticed he really needed this "extra" sleep after the initial wake up...he's a lot less fussy in the mornings if we wait it out!).
--He's not very verbal (lots of jibberish) but he does say "baa dah", "dada", "mama" clearly. Although not very verbal, he certainly understands verbal instructions like: "go to mama", "where's your eyes?", "brush your hair", "put the hat on your head", "talk to dada" (on the phone), "where's the dog?", "want milk?", "give kisses".
--He loves to dance and read. He can sit for upwards of ten minutes reading a book to himself. His favorite chant right now is Tiny Tim (we do it in music class) which involves pointing one finger at the palm of his other hand. He does this throughout the day and each time I try to do the chant right away, so it encourages him to continue with hand signs and so he understands he can communicate with us like that.
--He's a risk taker. Liam acts first and then thinks about it later, if he suffers a consequence (like falling and injuring himself). He's very brave and rarely shows fear! Climbing (anything and everything) and back flipping off mama (lay him flat on his back on your legs and he kicks off you, back flips and cracks up laughing, then wants to do it 100x). These are just some of his favorite risky activities these days!
--Almost anything can be a phone... he LOVES pretending to talk on the phone, definitely a favorite pass time.
--Pretty sure terrible 2 tantrums have started already, most people are pretty shocked at his outbursts and his age. Guess we'll have to work on that (and privately at home, we are trying to not "give in" so much, so he learns how to process "no" and disappointment). Dada is strong about it, mama wavers a lot (hey I'm with him for 9-10 hours alone, five/six days a week--give me a break!).
--He not only loves to throw balls, but he is really, really good at it. We're amazed at the power and aim he has! He also enjoys kicking his rubber ball around.
--Loves to do things on his own (push his car, pull his wagon, push his stroller, etc.). When he doesn't get his way, it's a complete meltdown!
--He can point to eyes, head and nose (and sometimes mouth).
--He's really into imitating others (if mama eats something and says "mmm", Liam's next bite is followed with "mmm") and he'll laugh and laugh. Quite a fun game to him lately. He's really a goof ball (definitely gets that from his daddy!).
--He's a tornado. He can make a huge mess (dumping things out, cleaning out drawers full of clothes, getting into cabinets, etc.) in the blink of an eye. I know, I know, all kids are like that, but truly this child has speed. Anyone who is left alone with him immediately understands it's more severe than your "average" case, lol!
--Grandma let him do art at her house last week (we now have a precious foot/hand print plaque on our wall--thanks Mom!) and she finished it off with giving him a crayon to scribble with. He certainly enjoyed that and I was impressed with his ability to do so!
--Liam LOVES to help people. Sweeping, vacuuming, getting laundry out of the dryer, unloading the dishwasher, collecting trash with dada... he'll even take a baby wipe out and start dusting furniture, walls, dogs, etc. He absolutely loves cleaning and helping out! It usually ends up being more work for the adult, but it's too sweet to not allow him to do!
Enjoying pancakes with syrup this morning (syrup was a treat for this 14mo. old!).
--He's getting better about brushing his teeth (five total!, see my post before this one for details on those) but worse about food. We're still "hiding" veggies and meat in cottage cheese (that's what we hide everything in... and he eats it, until he's full or figures it out!). And sadly, I do give him Happy Tots pureed "baby" food because it has veggies in it and he'll eat it--but it's not something I'm proud of :(
We went to a park in Santa Maria today to play. It was our first time there and now we know we MUST have bread for the ducks (Liam LOVES animals, but especially anything resembling a bird or dog). Here's some photos of our 14 month old running around and keeping us on our toes (as usual!).
This is a new shirt I had to buy at Walmart before we went to the park. Liam managed to fold his diaper top down and five seconds later he peed all over the shirt he was wearing!
He really did NOT understand why he could not swim with the ducks!
This is such a FUN (and exhausting!) stage in Liam's life. Sure wish I could pause time for a while and enjoy it a bit longer. What a neat little man we've been blessed with. Truly growing into his own, quite the personality and looking more and more like daddy everyday. As a mother and a wife, I feel truly blessed and happy. Ahh, life is good!
Comments