Liam's One Year Stats

When I posted Liam's One Year Old Post, we had not gone to the doctor for his well check-up yet. Since we were out of town, we just went yesterday. I already knew he was practically perfect in every way, but it was nice to hear that confirmed (please note, these were not his doctor's exact words, but I know this is what he meant :)). Here is how he measures up:

Weight~~23 lbs 7 oz~~35th%ile

Height~~31"~~90th%ile

Head Circumfrence~~18.5"~~50th%ile

Photograher Pics

On our cruise there was two amazing photographers. I don't know if they were amazing because of their equipment or their skill, but whatever, they got some great pictures! These are some of my favorites.

They had a kids club on the boat and one night they had a Prince/Princess Ball. Annah and Gardner were so pumped about going (may require some therapy later in life since the first date both of them ever went on was with their first cousin) that we had to get their picture. I love the face Annah is making! Incidentally, this was the only time they went to Kids Corner...

Will hates this picture, but we have so few of all four of us, that I included it anyway (sorry, Will)

PRECIOUS!!!!

Actually a good one of all of us. Liam is kind of making a funny face, but I'll take what I can get!

I really wanted to get some of Liam by himself. It is hard with a second child to get alone pictures. I feel like I am shorting Annah somehow if I don't include her, but at the same time, there are about a million pictures of her by herself when she was little. Either way, I did get some just Liam pictures.

I would love this picture so much more if my legs did not look enormous!

This is hands-down my favorite picture of the whole trip! They took a whole series of them and had them lined up in the photo gallery on the boat. Liam (obviously) has his name on his outfit and after they put these up, he became famous. We would be going to eat and people would be like, "hey look, it's Liam!" The photographer who took it referred to me for the rest of the trip as "my friend Liam's mom"

Bermuda, Bahama, Come on Pretty Mama

Will's dad got a wild hair the other day (like last week!) and decided we all needed a vacation. They have been putting in crazy hours at the new dealership and really, what better way to unwind and relax, than by putting 7 adults and 4 kids (ages 3 and under) in 4 small rooms on a boat?! Yes, we have totally lost our minds! Will and I, Annah and Liam, Leigh and Matt, Gardner and Perry, Rosie and Poppa, and Connie, the nanny all packed up for a 6-day cruise to Bermuda. The cruise left out of Charleston, so that part was pretty easy...small quarters for 6 days was not. Actually, Annah did a fabulous job. She settled right in as if she had been doing this every week her whole life. Liam was a bit of a nightmare. He was up all night long, in bed with us (something he has never done) and attached to my hip for most of the trip. There was also an incident involving the bathroom, which resulted in the carpet having to be replaced in one of the rooms...use your imagination...it was not pretty! As chaotic as it sounds, we really did have a great time. Bermuda was beautiful and the weather was fantastic, and how many kids get to travel like this at their ages? That being said, next time we are flying and staying in much larger hotel rooms :)

Annah and Liam by the pool

That is Connie (who I am so sad could not come home with us, since Annah loved her) in the background

My sweet boy...on my hip

Daddy and Annah on the pink beach
Here's the thing--I told Annah the beaches in Bermuda had pink sand. As it turns out, there is ONE beach in Bermuda with pink sand and it was a 45 minute ride away from where we docked. So we told her we were going to the pink beach and then went on and on about how pretty and pink the sand was. You can see in the picture is was most assuredly white, but she went with it and loved the "pink beach!"

This is such a beautiful picture. I think we should send it to the Bermuda tourism department (or whoever) so they can use it as a postcard!

Proof that Will and I did get a little time to ourselves

Liam is ONE!!!

I am at a loss to explain how it feels that my baby is now a year old. I don't know if it's because I know that he is my last baby (this is probably a large part of it) or if I felt the same way when Annah turned one and I just don't remember feeling this way...not sure. Bur either way, he is a whole year old. It is a strange phenomenon to feel like he was just born and to, at the same time, feel like I cannot remember life with out him. He has completed our family in every way. It is amazing the difference between boys and girls, even at this age. Liam loves anything that moves...balls, cars, trucks, etc. He has a smile that can light up a room and a laugh that is contagious. He loves to make us laugh and once he starts, we keep it up forever!

Liam, I love you more than I could ever put into words! You are my heart and I can only hope that one day you will understand how fortunate I feel to have you in my life. You are a little sneaky and try and try to do what you want even if I have told you no a hundred times. You have a little temper too, but even when you are mad, you are still smiling. I love that you know exactly what you want and you are getting better every day at telling us what that is. You can say Ma-ie (mommy), Da-ie (daddy), Annah, up, dog, ba (ball), boon (balloon) and can sign for "more" and "all done." You are so smart and funny and totally live up to your nickname of Monkey. We all love you so, so, so much!

Is this the cutest little boy in the whole world, or is it just me?!

The demolished cake. Annah thought it was a riot

"Boons"

Happy Mother's Day

I am good at a lot of things, however writing about how I really feel is not one of them. So, I am cheating. The following is from an email I received that sums it up pretty well. It is written from the point of view of a mother who's daughter is thinking of having a baby...

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of 'starting a family.'
"We're taking a survey." she says, half-joking.
"Do you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life." I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.
"I know." she says, "No more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."
But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child-bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of 'Mom!' will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.
I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child-care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is alright.
I want my daughter to know that every-day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five-year-old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child-molester may be lurking in that rest-room.
However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who carefully bathes the baby or who never hesitates to feed, change or play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly-laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it." I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her - and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

A rare picture of me with the kiddos

By birth they made me a mom,
but they also make me a better person every single day

3 generations

First Pool Day

The weather was so incredibly nice this past weekend that Saturday afternoon we had to head up to the neighborhood pool. Since Liam was so small last summer, we didn't spend much time there last year, but I have every intention of making up for our lack of pool time last year! I was a little worried that Liam might freak out (especially after the sprinkler incident), but he absolutely loved it. Annah took to it, well, like a fish to water! If you can't find us this summer, that's where we'll be!

Liam was a tiny bit unsure at first

Annah jumped right in
At one point, Liam and I were in the baby pool and I looked over at the big pool to find Annah swimming in it all by herself! Yikes!



He really loved to SPLASH!

Kicking like crazy

He loves to blow bubbles. Had to keep a hand on his float to keep him from jumping in!

Muffins with Mom

Annah's school has a Muffins with Mom party where they invite all the moms to come to school with the kids a little early and have a Mother's Day breakfast. This past Friday was my first Muffins with Mom. Annah was so excited to show me all the things she had been keeping "secret" from me that she had been working on for the last couple weeks. It was really cute. They made each of us a ladybug magnet and poem and planted flowers. I know it was a lot of extra work for her teachers and I hope they know how much it was appreciated.

All my goodies from Annah

My baby girl (cramming that muffin in)...taken by me, so not a great picture

Lake Day

The last time Will, Annah, and I were at the lake was May 15, 2008. I know this because later that same day, Liam was born. While we we on the boat last year, I noticed my legs were swelling a bit. I called Dr Keeton and she said it was probably nothing but to run into a CVS and use their blood pressure monitor and call her back. Well, it was high and they told me to come on to the hospital. By the time I got there it was back to normal, so they said no baby that night. However, when they did some blood work, my kidney function was down (among other problems) so...Liam was on his way!

This year our trip to the lake was a little less eventful (thank goodness)! Just some laid back family time and cruising on the boat. Rosie and Poppa and Leigh, Matt, Gardner and Perry were all there and it was so nice to have a day with no agenda

Annah ready to go

How cute are they?!

Annah and Gardner having a Apple Jack/Milkshake picnic

Healthy, huh?

Liam driving the boat with Poppa

Liam and Mommy

(I do not like this picture of me, but I have no pictures of me with either of my kids, so I'll take what I can get)

The life jacket was as big as him

"Mom, let's go!"

"Fishing"

with no hook or bait...only a purple princess crown weight

Needless to say, she didn't catch any fish. Probably a good thing b/c she would have lost her cool if she had actually pulled a fish up!

Disney's World of Fantasy***

Today we went to see Disney on Ice, World of Fantasy with Rosie. Leave it to Disney to out-do even my imagination. It was incredible. Even Liam was entertained (and he doesn't sit still for anything but food...truthfully, he was great for 1/2 hour and then he was bored, but still not bad for him). They had Cars (Liam was literally trying to jump out of my lab to get to them), The Little Mermaid, The Lion King (I have not seen this on Broadway, but Rosie had, and said this was even better), and (drumroll, please) Tinkerbell. Annah was so anxious for it to start that I asked her if she was OK. She said (with a perfectly straight face) "Mommy, isn't this so exciting?!" I love that kid!

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

The Lion King

This picture does not do it justice. The animals were so cool. You can kind of see the giraffes on the left...

Liam and Rosie


TINKERBELL!!!!!

Is this kid excited to have a Tinkerbell doll, or what?!

Also came home with a Lightening McQueen and a $10 (not a typo, repeat $10 snow cone)

*** The author would like to note that my fantasy would fall more along the lines of Sleeping Beauty...nice long nap on a beautiful bed, woken up with a kiss from a prince...not bad

***Above mentioned price could and should be Will

Sprinkler Fun

When Laura and I took the kids to the beach in the beginning of April, we bought this great sprinkler. But then it got too cold for us to use it, but since the weather has been so nice lately, we decided to bust it out. Laura, Delainey, and Jacqueline came over to play. Liam was terrified of the sprinkler (aka screamed like crazy if even a drop hit him), but everyone else seemed to have a great time.

I love this picture b/c I think he looks like the baby in those e-trade commercials

"Hey, Babe! Let me get back to you"

Jac got right in the mix

Liam stayed as far away from the water as possible. He better get over it or it is going to be one long, hot summer for him!