A New Year and New Challenges

January has continued to be a busy month.  After Erin and Ethan's visit came a visit from my parents, who spent a few days enjoying some quality time as grandparents.  Liam was delighted to have such talkative and attentive visitors.  Since their visit and all of that constant one-on-one attention, he has been much more vocal and eager to express himself.

Liam and Grandpa Myers

Out for a stroll with Grandma Myers

Grandma and Grandpa Myers with Liam

In the past week I've given him plenty of time on his activity mat.  He seems to love flailing and batting at the toys hanging above him and squealing his enjoyment when they swing back and forth.  We've also been working on sitting--propped up and surrounded by lots of pillows, of course.  He cracks me up, because one moment he will be sitting up beautifully, then the next he'll do a face-plant in his lap.  However, those face-plants are getting slower and slower as his muscles get stronger and learn to support him better.  He is very strong, a little baby Hercules, but he still lacks some basic fine motor skills.  Once he gets them I'm sure I'll miss his days of relative immobility!

Liam loves playtime on his activity mat.

In other news, my maternity leave is slowly but surely winding down.  Naturally, I'm completely divided as to how I feel about this issue.  I look forward to returning to work and getting into our family's new routine, but at the same time I know leaving Liam is going to be difficult.  I'm glad I'll be leaving him with his dad instead of some other babysitter, but I worry about returning to work just the same.  There's no doubt daddy will do things differently than mommy, and he'll have to learn some things the hard way, but I hope he'll be a bona fide Mr. Mom in no time.

Liam and Daddy

Aside from the emotional adjustment of entering my new reality as a working mom, I also worry about how I'm going to handle the stress of coming home to my second and most important job.  Am I going to have enough left over at the end of the day to give Liam the time and attention he needs and deserves?  Returning home after fighting L.A. traffic and putting in a long day at work, only to dive right into household chores, fixing dinner, and maintaining Liam's nighttime routine is going to be a challenge.  One thing I know for sure--our little family is going to have to be a VERY organized team.  I know we will fall into those new routines soon enough, but I dread the rockiness of the transition.  I can see the challenges and arguments coming from a mile away, and I know the the only way forward is right through them.  If only anticipating challenges meant I could avoid them completely!

Liam and Mommy try to go out for a stroll every day.

Two Months In

On the roof of Griffith Observatory

Liam is now a little over two months old and is doing wonderfully.  He's a hearty twelve pounds and is getting stronger every day.  In general he is a smiley, happy little guy whose favorite pastimes are cooing at his Winnie the Pooh mobile, staring at the wall, and sucking thoughtfully on his fist.  Last week he finally got to meet his Aunt Erin and Uncle Ethan, who drove out to visit us from Illinois.  It was great to have a nice leisurely visit with my sister and her husband.  Our last visit with them was last August when they were married, so it was incredibly hectic and there wasn't a lot of time to just chill and hang out.  We managed to go out to eat and even took a couple of quick day trips to the Griffith Observatory and (naturally) the Villa.  Hopefully we will get to visit with them again soon!

Lunch at El Pollo Inka

Not unexpectedly, I've not been able to keep up with my blog entries as often as I would like.  Days get consumed with diaper and outfit changes, tummy time, household chores, and naps (for Liam) in the rocking chair--which is as it should be, really.  Once I return to work next month I think I'll be able to post entries more regularly.  Fifteen minutes on a lunch break sans baby has the potential to be a lot more productive than any amount of time at home with the baby.  Even if Liam is sleeping, I swear he has a sixth sense--he wakes up the minute my hand touches a book or my laptop, and especially if my head dares to touch a pillow.  When I'm at home he rules my time like a cute, tiny overlord.

There's no doubt that we are slowly beginning to find our new normal and develop new routines.  I expect we will continue to get better at negotiating life as three instead of two, but I'm sure Liam will keep us on our toes as he grows and changes.

If you're gonna live in Southern California,
you gotta have some cool shades  

Aunt Erin, Uncle Ethan, and Liam with Einstein
at Griffith Observatory