Game Time

Going through Mommy's backpack--he loves to play with earbuds.

It's hard to believe the first month of the new year is nearly in the rearview mirror. Liam is growing like a weed and becoming more and more the curious, exploring toddler everyday. Just as he was a happy baby, he is a giggly, happy toddler who is (mostly) even-tempered. Right now everything is a game to him. Bathtime becomes "Trying to Catch and Eat Bubbles," tooth brushing becomes "Catch Me If You Can," and any time he manages to breach the baby gate and gain access to the kitchen becomes a game of "How Fast Can I Empty the Cabinets Onto the Floor Before Mommy Catches Me?" As you might guess, he keeps us on our toes and routinely tests our reaction time. Still, I can honestly say I (mostly) love every minute of it. While it is bittersweet to see babyhood fade and give way to toddlerhood, I look forward to watching him become a little boy.

Hmmm...what else do we have in here?

Last week brought a new development--I played "with" him rather than alongside him for the first time. (Up until recently, he's still very much been a "parallel" player, meaning he does his own thing and plays alongside others rather than engaging playmates directly.) We rolled a little ball back and forth between us for about five minutes or so. The ball was just the right size for his little hand to get a good grip on it, and he enjoyed it when he discovered that if he rolled the ball in my direction I would roll it back to him. It was really fun to be able to play a game with him, so I hope this is the start of a new trend. 

In short, Liam is doing wonderfully. I wake up everyday wondering what Liam will do to surprise, entertain, exasperate, inspire, or...make me swear he will be an only child. It's pretty great.

Liam hardly ever looks up when he's outside.
He's way too curious about what's on the ground!

Opening and closing doors is
 a favorite pastime.

Daddy hasn't put the shelves in his bookcase yet,
which is just fine with Liam.

Mmmm. Spaghetti.