Power and Pathos

A week ago I finally had the opportunity to see the new Getty Museum exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World. I was eager to see the exhibition in part because I was assigned to write a blog post for Art Muse LA on it, but also because Hellenistic bronzes are some of the most expressive and interesting works of art surviving from the ancient world. So I packed up the boys for the hour-long drive to the Getty Center, loaded them up in their double stroller, and trekked up the hill to see this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of Hellenistic bronzes. The boys were amazingly well behaved for most of my time in the galleries, allowing me to jot notes for my article in a palm-sized notebook, but by the last gallery I was juggling Connor on one hip and trying to take some final notes. A trip to the Getty Center is always worthwhile and it was a gorgeous day. Once my business with the bronzes was concluded, I took the boys out to the gardens where they walked around, finding snails and in general being little boys.

In a way, the field trip to the museum and taking notes on the exhibition was the easy part. The hard part was synthesizing all of the information in my head and that I had collected into a coherent, written form for my Art Muse LA article--all while a toddler whined and/or hung on me as I typed and someone was constantly yelling, "Mooommmyyyy!" Let's just say it was a challenge. Despite the typical motherhood obstacles--or perhaps because of them--I am particularly proud and pleased with the resulting article. You can read it here.

Preschool Graduation

Yesterday was Liam's preschool "graduation" from Ms. Gina's preschool class. It was a fun, beautiful beach day at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach. His teachers, Ms. Gina and Ms. Jessica, organized a beach-side graduation ceremony complete with a sound system for (mostly Disney) music, BBQ fixings, drinks, and desserts. Liam and Connor loved their play time at the beach. I admit I was surprised at how emotional, sad, and bittersweet I began to feel as the afternoon progressed. It started with Ms. Gina's speech, when she said, "Most of these kids I will never see again after today. They will forever be young in my heart." KILLED me. Of course she was choking up as she said it, and as a mother I completely understand what she felt. And it made me realize that not only will Liam be going into a very different learning environment with Transitional Kindergarten, but there will never be another time when I can drop him off at school and know he will be treated with such loving care. I feel grateful he had that experience and saddened by the thought that he will be less sheltered and less protected as he moves on in school.  Ms. Gina's class was the first time I left Liam in the care of someone other than family, and I did so every day feeling completely confident in Ms. Gina and Ms. Jessica's care. I'm sad for both of us for what we are losing. But, as it is so often in life, it's time to let go. Again. 

The Promise of Change

A new year opens with the promise of many changes to come in the months ahead. Connor is mobile, unceasingly active, curious, and a sweet little soul. By the end of the year, he'll pretty much be unstoppable. Liam started a two-day-a-week preschool class last fall, and this summer will see him graduate from preschool and begin a Transitional Kindergarten program in August. He adjusted well to preschool and feels quite at home there now. It probably helps that I volunteer in the classroom roughly every other week, but his teachers are great and tell me he does just fine when I'm not there. I hope this experience prepares him for the upcoming classroom experiences of TK. Even if the transition to a school classroom turns out to be rocky, his preschool experience thus far demonstrates he adjusts well to change. This is good, because there will be a lot of changes this year. By the time we say goodbye to 2015 it will be a whole new world.

Life with Two

This is how I found Connor yesterday morning. You can't see it, but of course he's laying in a big ol' fresh and warm pee pee wet spot. :-/ Very nearly six months in, and it's easy to see from my sparse entries how much crazier life is with two rather than one. In many ways so much has changed since I had Connor. Of course, adding a new member to the family is a huge change in and of itself, but it has precipitated other changes as well.

With two kids it feels like we are more of a family rather than just two adults and a baby. And it is fun to watch Liam and Connor bond as brothers. It will be good for Liam to have a sibling for a playmate and for Connor to have a big brother. It should have been obvious, but I realize now that it's impossible to raise one child the same as the one (or ones) that came before, because the family each subsequent child enters is fundamentally different than it was before as soon as the new baby arrives. There is no way Connor's baby experience will be the same as Liam's. And that's okay.

Potty Training: Day 13

VICTORY. Liam was pretty much trained for peeing in the potty after 3 days. Poo was another story. After nearly two weeks of cleaning poo out of underwear, he finally poo'd in the potty today! It was the result of blatant bribery, but apparently that's how it's done.

So, just to be clear, this isn't the kind of happy occasion where you post a pic on Facebook, right? Because I'm about ready to break into song. The end of two kids in diapers is nigh! I'm so proud of Liam. Naturally I know no one wants to see my kid's poo on Facebook, but on the other hand it would probably be a great way to clean up my friends list--get rid of the squeamish ones and all...

On days like this being a mom is GOOD. I love days when I don't feel I've fallen short or failed my kids in some way. I love these days when I feel like I did it right.

LAFD Museum and Memorial

Sitting here with a glass of wine, reflecting on what turned out to be a great day. We took Liam to the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial in Hollywood. I thought he would enjoy it given how
much he likes fire engines right now. He certainly had a good time, and Eric and I enjoyed taking him
to the museum. The museum was neat too, of course, but nothing beats the enjoyment a parent can get from watching their child light up and have fun. Loved it! Connor slept through the whole thing. Compared to Liam as a baby, Connor is more of a sleepy baby. Can't complain about that! I'm a lucky mama to have such wonderful, sweet boys.

Today was also a red-letter day on the potty training front. I encouraged Liam to sit on the potty first thing this morning since his diaper was dry when he woke up. He sat down, but eventually got up because he "couldn't make his pee pee come out." A few minutes later--even though he had a diaper
on and could have used it--he came to me and said he had to go potty. Sure enough, he sat down and
darn near filled his little potty! He wore a pull-up on our outing, but he was dry when we got home and
peed in the potty twice more. I am a proud mama! He was rewarded for his efforts with an Optimus
Prime Rescue Bot and the promise of more to come if he keeps it up. He did have two poo accidents today, but because it's common knowledge you have to train for #1 and then again for #2, I'm not counting those against him. Thankfully they were not messy accidents, so cleanup was as easy as I could hope for. Here's hoping we are well on our way to having a fully potty trained 3 year old!

Potty Training: Day One

Two pee-pee accidents so far--one in the morning and one just now (2:30p). Neither of them have been big accidents, but he's gotta be carrying around a bladder full of urine--not to mention #2... Thus far he hasn't gone once in the potty, despite the fact that I'm making him sit on it every 20 minutes or so for at least 10 minutes. Rapidly beginning to see why so many moms say they *hate* potty training!

2:45: Accident #3 (#1)

3:37: Accident #4 (#1)

4:48: Accident #5 (#1) - Gusher! Anticipating he must be full to bursting with pee, I put rubber underwear
in over his regular underwear. Thank goodness I did. It spared my carpet the worst of it. I took him straight to the bath tub, cleaned him up a bit (SO much pee!), then just gave him a bath. I put a diaper on him after the bath. I think we'd both had enough of practicing using the potty for the day! This is gonna be intense.

First Movie

We took Liam to see his first movie today. We saw Frozen with his cousins at the AMC Del Amo. I think Liam was most excited about eating popcorn but, all things considered, he did well--we didn't have to take him out of the movie even once. Connor was another story. We had to bring him because there was no one available to watch him. He slept through most of the movie, but about an hour in he got hungry and I had to leave to go feed him in the lobby. I came back, but I just watched the movie from the hallway rather than go back to my seat because I was afraid he might cry again. Now that we know Liam can sit through a movie, I wonder if Eric will want to take him often since he himself loves the movies (as do I).

Year in Review

Another year has passed and this New Year's Eve has me looking back on all that's happened in 2013. By far the most significant event of the year was the birth of my second son, Connor Gregory Wells, on November 24th. He is a sweet baby and my greatest blessing this year. As happy as I am to be able to snuggle and hold my newborn son, I am not at all sorry to no longer be pregnant. I've not had a horrible or high-risk pregnancy either time, but I am not a fan of pregnancy. My first trimester was no fun thanks to a three-month bout with bronchitis, tonsillitis, and a double ear infection--not to mention morning sickness. Once I finally got past all of that sickness the pregnancy went well, I was just much bigger and more uncomfortable this time around. Eric still says he wants to have three kids, but I think I'm done. We have two beautiful boys and our hands are full as it is!

Although I was supposed to have a scheduled c-section this time, Connor had other plans. Three days before I was scheduled for surgery I began having contractions shortly before midnight. By one a.m. they started becoming regular and less than ten minutes apart. After an hour of regular contractions I told Eric to stay with Liam and had Mom take me to Torrance Memorial hospital. The contractions were strong and coming more quickly by the time we got there, so walking was slow going. Once I arrived at Maternity I had to fill out paperwork--just what you want to do when you're in labor. The nurses weren't in a hurry, and I thought there was time, but by the time I was in a hospital gown and hooked up to a monitor my contractions
were not just coming rapidly, they were peaking on the monitor. I was in full-on labor and experiencing a
kind of pain I had never felt before in my life. The doctor on call gave the order to get me prepped for surgery, and suddenly in the midst of those painful contractions I had people asking me questions, drawing blood, starting an. I.V., shaving me, and so on. All I wanted for the anesthesiologist to show up and give me an epidural, but I was told that it had to wait until I was in the O.R.

As they were about to wheel me out of the labor room my water broke, but I was in too much pain to say anything. By that point Mom had called Eric and told him to get to the hospital. I didn't see him until I was on the operating table, prepped for surgery. I was glad it worked out so that I was out if pain by the time he saw me. I'm not sure he would have handled it well when I was in so much pain. There wouldn't have been anything he could have done to help me. Being in that much pain there was nothing get could have comforted me but drugs--lots of drugs. The surgery went well and before I knew it my baby was born and crying--a wonderful sound to hear. When Liam was born the nurses gave him to Eric first, but this time I got to be the first one to hold Connor. The nurses laid him on my chest and I felt the weight of his soft, warm little body for the first time. While the pregnancy was not particularly enjoyable for me, starting with Connor's birth I began to revel in and truly enjoy the experience. The first time around I was so nervous, anxious, and stressed at the new and awesome responsibility of motherhood that I didn't get to enjoy those initial moments and days with Liam as I did with Connor. Because I was more relaxed I feel like I bonded much more quickly with Connor. Right away I couldn't get enough of holding him and felt that strong mother-child attachment much sooner. Now that we've been home for awhile, I also find I'm not passing up many opportunities to just sit and hold him and enjoy this newborn phase more than I did last time. Realizing how sweet this time can be is enough to make me wish it weren't my last baby, but reality brings me back to earth. Kids are expensive!

Aside from the huge event of becoming a mother of two in 2013, the other significant development was my involvement in a new company called Art Muse Los Angeles (ALMA). ALMA's director is Clare Kunny, a museum professional who used to be one of the Education managers at the Getty--until the layoffs of April 2012 happened. She launched ALMA in February 2013. I had the distinction of giving the inaugural tour at the Villa. Not long after, she recruited me to do ALMA's social media and blog. Before I knew it I was one of the company's regular staff members. The company is still very young and thus is not hugely profitable yet, but I hope it takes off as time goes on. If it does, I may be able to have the best of both worlds and maintain professional connections and generate a modest income while still being home with the boys full-time. The social media aspect of the job is no problem--I can do that from home and mostly on my mobile device. It's giving tours or teaching gallery courses that is a challenge because it requires finding free child care. My goal is just to do one ALMA event per month, so hopefully we can work that out. Here's hoping that 2014 brings more opportunities!

Parenting Handbook

If parenting came with a handbook, what would you add to it?

You are about to learn that all of the cliches are true. The worst job you'll ever love. The days are long (very long) but the years are short. A love like no other. All are true in some way. The sacrifice, pain, and joy motherhood begins in defines the entire experience. You will give everything everyday and most days will get nothing in return, and you will think nothing of it.

After carrying this baby for nine months it feels like he or she is more yours than anything in the world. It's true for a time this baby will belong to you--but only for a time. As time passes you realize the truth. You create, love, nurture, sacrifice, and give everything of yourself and hold tight, only to figure out that the point of it all from the beginning is letting go.

You have to let go to go back to work. You let go so they can take their first step. You let go on the first day of school. You let go in little ways and big ways when the time is right so that your baby will grow to live a life as full as yours. Letting go is a defining act of parenting.

When it gets hard--and even when it is joyful and easy--I remember that, and it helps me appreciate the moment, whatever it is, because it reminds me this time will pass and someday my son will have a life of his own because that is why I gave him life.

Twenty years doesn't seem like such a long time anymore when you are a mom.

So don't blink.

Two Years Old!

Two year ago today, life changed forever. Happy birthday, Liam!

A New Chapter

September 5th marked the end of the one chapter in my life and the beginning of another. Even though the course of this new season is as yet completely uncharted, I'm happy about the prospect of a fresh start and a chance for renewal and reinvestment in areas of my life that suffered inevitable neglect due to the realities of being a full-time working mother. For me, the past two years cast in sharp relief the challenges and frustrations a working mother and wife faces--many of which I didn't fully understand or appreciate until I found myself confronting them on a daily basis. I now have an unexpected opportunity to clear out the cobwebs of neglect in those challenge areas. This sense of purpose led me to outline a few of the broad goals I have for my time as a full-time mom (however long that proves to be). I say "broad goals" intentionally. After all, I want to be realistic--life happens. Not every one of these goals will be reached every day, but they will provide a good framework to go on.

1. A new routine. While sometimes one can become a slave to routine, I've definitely seen the benefits of having a family routine, and I don't want to lose too much structure now that my life is no longer ruled by a time clock. Everyone likes the comfort and feeling of productivity a routine provides, and I've found it a great survival tool as a parent. Also, a little structure to the day will go a long way in helping me meet the goals I have in mind. Generally speaking, I'd like our new average daily routine to include:
     a) Some time outdoors and physical activity--preferably before naptime... (see also: goal #2)
     b) Preschool educational activities for Liam:  reading, art making, music, etc.
     c) Daily family time--with two working parents whose commute home is over an hour, this one has always been our ideal, but hard to pull off in the past because Liam often falls asleep before Eric gets home.
     d) A little time at the beginning and/or end of the day for mommy-decompression

2. Get physical. The remaining three items on this list are mostly about me. As parents (especially mothers) I think the first thing we cut out of our lives when a baby enters the picture is everything we used to do for "me"--all of our energy goes into everything but taking care of ourselves. I have certainly been guilty of that, and I want to use this as an opportunity to work on striking a better balance. So, shooting for some physical activity each day is not just about giving Liam time to play outside or at the park, it's also about keeping me active, healthy, and feeling good as well.

3. Mental & intellectual health. Again, this one is about keeping me happy, healthy, and sane. I want to take time each day--even if it's just a few minutes--for stress-relief and decompression, and ideally some intellectual engagement (reading, writing, etc.). This new existence is a real change for me, not just in terms of  what I do every day but also in how I see myself and where I am in my life. I fully realize that keeping up my mental game is going to be key, and although it will be tough on some days to carve out time, I plan to take this goal very seriously.

4. Refocus and reinvest. There is no question that in the past the never-ending spin of the hamster wheel that is working motherhood got the better of me more than I would like. One of my hopes for this time is that mommy and daddy can find more time to be husband and wife now and then. "Date nights" certainly don't happen as often as they should. I'd also like to invest a little in some odds-and-ends improvements around the place to make it even homier and some organizational features that I haven't had the time to get to since we moved in last October. I'm not going to go "This Old House" on the place or anything, but I think a few small, inexpensive changes will go a long way.

I don't feel I'm over-reaching with any of these goals, but check-in with me a year from now and we'll see what I have to say about it! My first week of the post-Villa era was busy and activity-filled, thanks to a visit from my mom. Liam was more than happy to enjoy being spoiled by Grandma for a week, and I was thankful for a chance to do some of those odds-and-ends tasks I mentioned above and get organized. It was  nice to have some company and keep so busy this first week after being laid-off--it made for an easier transition and kept me from dwelling on the anxiety and sadness. It will take some time for those emotions to fade, I know, but this first week was a good start.

All right then--here we go!

The Tail's End

Liam had almost no hair when he was born--except that tail!

My sister came out to California for a visit at the very end of June. Sure, she wanted to spend some time with Liam, Eric, and I, but she also had a mission--to eliminate Liam's mullet. The tale of my son's tail is one well-known to our close friends and family. When Liam was born, he had little to no hair, except for a tiny little tail of hair at the base of his head. As he grew, the hair on the rest of his head just couldn't keep up with the thriving natural mullet in the back. Although he's almost two years old, I resisted cutting it for a long time. After all, it was practically the only hair he had on his head and was a reminder to me that, as much as he's changed over the past twenty months, this bounding little toddler and the tiny newborn that came out of me were one and the same. Also, I admit to having hopes--faint as they may have been--that at some point his little tail would begin to grow into cute curls. Alas, it was not meant to be, and recently even my loving mother's eyes had to admit that it was time to reduce the party in the back to an acceptable level.

Before his first haircut, Liam's mullet
reached his shoulders.

So before she hopped a plane for California, I told Erin--a long-time proponent of ending the tail--to pack her clippers. Considering Liam is hardly of an age to sit still and have his hair cut, she did quite a good job giving her nephew his first haircut. We put him in his highchair and distracted him with some yummy chicken taco chili, which served to keep Liam occupied enough to almost ignore Aunt Erin, who cut his hair while he ate. As you can see, by the time he was done with his supper his tail was at an end and he had his first cute little boy haircut.

Ta-da--no more tail!

And what do a mommy and auntie with access to a fancy digital SLR camera do with a cute little boy who just got a snazzy new haircut? Why, dress him in an adorable little outfit and take him out to for a photo shoot, that's what! Check out my next post to see some of the hard won results of our efforts.

What's Next?

A little over a month has gone by since the layoffs were announced at work and my long goodbye to the place I've worked for the past five years began. There are still a lot of emotions stirring around in my head about my changed circumstances, but the storm has passed and I'm determined to make the most of this unexpected turn of events. Just how I'm going to do that is, in many ways, yet to be determined, but it is going to start with me using this time as an opportunity to take a leap of faith and try something I never thought I would--full-time motherhood.

Before marriage and motherhood, if you asked me if I'd ever consider being a full-time mom, I'd have said no. The thing is, I like to work, and most of my adult life has been devoted to finding a career identity for myself--not an easy task for someone with an advanced degree in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. And if I may say so, my progress wasn't too shabby. After earning my Master's at UCLA, I joined the staff at LACMA during the blockbuster King Tut exhibition, and my success there led to a recruitment call from the Education Department at the Getty Museum--a department with a nationwide reputation for excellence and a best-of-the-best staff. A foot in the door at the one of the preeminent cultural institutions in the country, I thought, meant I would be well-positioned to earn my stripes and advance my career at a steady pace. And what's more, for the second time since grad school, I was in a position in which I could directly apply my specialized knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean--again, not an easy thing to come by!

The position and the opportunity seemed ripe with potentiality. The bases were full. All I needed to do was deliver and send the pitch headed over home plate back over the wall. ...Uh, not quite. The economy tanked shortly after I was hired on at the Villa, and instead of the opportunity to advance, the Great Recession resulted in a stagnant wage and the elimination of career opportunities across the board, not just at my home institution. The Getty ultimately experienced two rounds of deep cuts to its staff, the second of which found me among those holding one of those infamous blue folders from HR containing a "letter of separation."

By the time I was handed that blue folder, I was already frustrated by the lack of room for advancement in a down job market. For a brief moment at the end of last year, I thought my willingness to take on duties and tasks beyond the scope of my position had finally paid off when I was reassigned as a coordinator for Teacher Programs. In the end, of course, the change never fully materialized. The new leadership of the museum froze the paperwork because they knew massive layoffs were coming to Education this spring. As frustrated as I already was, the layoffs this April were the final *head-desk* moment of despair and aggravation. As crappy as having a door slammed in your face is, the finality of it is freeing. You can't go this way. Move on.

So what's next? I've been asked that question a lot lately, and the more time passes, the more confidence I feel in my decision. I have the chance to explore an option I've been thinking about more and more over the past nineteen months and spend some time as a full-time mom. After this most recent lesson on the folly of making plans, that's about all I'm willing to say with any certainty at this point. For several years now I've been looking for the bigger and better career opportunity because I assumed a bigger and better salary (read: greater financial security) would ultimately serve my family best. But the lessons of the past nineteen months and especially recent events have served as a wake-up call that that assumption may not be true at this moment in time. All that has happened obviously got my attention in a big way and has made me rethink where I am most needed and how I can best serve my family right now, a time when professional opportunities are hardly blossoming beneath my feet. Reflecting on the last ten years, this experience has also reminded me that it's okay to follow my instincts--even when they are leading toward an uncertain and unknown path rather than a more certain, well-traveled one.

Sure, maybe we are wrong and will find that we can't quite get by on one income--that's part of the uncertainty. But even if that is the lesson we eventually learn from all of this, what I do know about this decision is that I'll never look back and regret choosing to spend more time with my son.

As uncertain as these times are, of that I have no doubt.

A Morning at the Pier

Looking toward Redondo Beach pier.

Yesterday was another gorgeous, sunny SoCal morning, and Liam and I took full advantage of it. We are lucky to live within walking distance of Redondo Beach Pier and the Veteran's Park and Memorial. The pier provides a scenic ocean-front walk with plenty of sidewalk for the stroller and the opportunity to do some wave watching, which Liam loves. When Liam grew tired of the confines of his stroller, Veteran's Park provided plenty of wide-open space for him to run around in as well as a little playground area. 

He had a blast climbing all over the playground equipment, playing in the sand, and chasing squirrels around the park's grassy knolls. In short, it was the perfect way to tire him out for naptime! If he had his way, he would probably never leave, but the promise of some graham cracker cookies and a sippy cup full of cold water persuaded him to get back in his stroller. While he munched on cookies and sipped on water, I got my workout for the day in by hiking us both back up to our neighborhood. The walk down to the beach is lovely (i.e. downhill), but going back is an uphill slog all the way. Even so, there's no question that the hot, sweaty return trip is totally worth the opportunity to get out and enjoy the sunshine and outdoor activities. At the moment it appears most likely that I will become a full-time, stay-at-home mom in early September when I'm laid off (more on this in a later post). If so, Liam and I will definitely be paying regular visits to Veteran's Park.

Squirrel chasing.

Liam loves watching the waves.

Easter Egg Hunt

Compared to last Easter, when Liam was only a little over five months old and could barely sit on his own next to his Easter basket, this Easter was action-packed. Although the idea of an "egg hunt" still escapes him, he totally got into the idea of running around the backyard with his cousins, basket in hand, and (occasionally) picking stuff up off of the ground. Luckily Mommy and Daddy were there to help him out, and there were even a few times when he followed through, picking up an egg and putting it in his basket. But for Liam, the hunt was mostly about running back and forth across the grass with his basket. He had a blast, and all of that running around helped tire him out for his nap--score!

As I mentioned in my last post, Liam is doing his best to test out his new sense of independence, which for me is simultaneously exciting, amusing, and frustrating. My frustration is mostly a result of my limited ability to communicate with my tenacious toddler, but there are signs that things might get a little easier very soon. For awhile now Liam has been able to follow basic verbal instructions or directions, but in the last two weeks or so he has started answering questions with a nod--that's a full-body nod, leaning back and forth--or a "Nooooooo!" or even "No, no, no, no, no, no!" Clearly, the boy has "no" down. As much as I try to introduce the word "yes" into his vocabulary, I think "no" will continue to dominate conversations with Liam for now. Consequently, when he answers a question I'm not sure if he truly means what he says, but we are at least one step closer to breaking through another verbal communication barrier. Until then, we'll take what we can get, and try our best to give "yes" a fighting chance to break into Liam's ever-growing vocabulary.

IN-de-PEN-dent

I took this photo not all that long ago, and when I finally had a chance to sit down and add it to my photo archive, it struck me once more that my cute little baby is rapidly becoming a little boy. The occasional word is turning into a veritable (toddlerish) vocabulary, and he is already starting to test out a fierce streak of independence that is clearly going to be a hallmark of his burgeoning personality. (He got it honest.) So far he mostly prefers to assert his independence at mealtimes--he absolutely refuses to be fed with a spoon or fork anymore. If he is going to eat it, he's going to put it in his mouth himself. What choice does a weary mother have except to hand over the spoon and let him have at it? He still uses his hands, but he prefers to use a baby spoon or fork if possible. While his dexterity definitely leaves something to be desired, I've been rather impressed with how well he's done. As long as the spoon starts out in the right position, the bite usually makes it to his mouth successfully. However, he hasn't quite figured out how to manipulate the spoon back into the proper position if it gets turned sideways, and he's not all that good at shoveling food onto his utensil yet. Even though I can tell this problem frustrates him, it clearly irritates him more if I try to help him out. He squawks and pushes my hand away, leaving no doubt about how he feels about my help. If he had the ability to form a sentence, I'm sure this emphatic gesture would be accompanied by a "Me do it!" My only regret is that he doesn't seem to have the same motivation for independence when it comes to baths and diaper changes... Oh, well. I'll take what I can get!

There you are! Playing at Aunt Erin's house.

Happy boy.

A March Trip

Liam has a thing for rakes, brooms, and mops--
they offer hours of endless entertainment for him right now.

Last week Liam and I returned home from a trip to Illinois to visit my family. For only having a few days, I think we made great use of our time. We were able to meet up with many family and friends and enjoyed our visit very much. I was most concerned about how I would manage flying alone with a 16-month-old, but I was well-prepared with snacks and entertainment for the plane and Liam handled his second plane trip like a pro. He's such a good-natured little guy and he takes most things--including traveling around with his mom for a few days--in stride! Aside from visiting friends and family, we managed to spend some time at the St. Louis Zoo and swing by SIUE to visit an old friend and professor of mine. Unbelievably, come May it will have been ten years since I graduated SIUE and moved to California, so it was nice to roam campus and remember what it was like to be an undergrad. A lot has changed for me in the last ten years!

With Liam being so young and my new position at work being more demanding, my trips home are few and far-between these days, but I'm thankful for the times I do make it back for a visit. I've posted a few of my favorite pictures from our trip below. Enjoy!

Liam with Grandma and Grandpa Myers at the St. Louis Zoo.

Liam and Mommy.

Look at that hair!

I call this one, "Big Monkey, Little Monkey."

With Aunt Erin and Uncle Ethan.

Liam absolutely loved riding the carousel at the zoo.

Check out my new hat!

With Great-Grandma Orsborn.

It's tough being little.

With Great-Grandma and Grandpa Myers.

All of the Orsborn grandkids and great-grandkids
in the same place at the same time!

Liam and Mommy at SIUE.

Aunt Erin and Liam at SIUE.

Catch Him If You Can

As I mentioned in my last post, Liam is picking things up at an amazing pace. His words aren't always complete or articulate, but he's learning. "Dah" for dog and "Cah" for cat are coming through pretty consistently and clearly. We also hear "yaaaaay"  and hand-clapping a lot during playtime. Naturally, he chooses to do cute things when my video camera is no where in sight, but over the weekend I managed to capture a few moments on video. I'm afraid these videos aren't of the best quality--even when I have my camera in hand, Liam often complicates things by trying to grab the camera or becoming cranky and frustrated with Mommy because she won't surrender the camera--but there the best I could manage.

It was fleeting, but I managed to get him to "blow kisses" for this video.

Liam does some "jumping" in this one. Don't get excited--his version of "jump" is to just kick his leg out. He may not get off of the ground, but he has fun with it!

Here I was attempting to get him to hold my cell phone to his ear and say, "Haaaaiii," which he's fond of doing, but since he already had the cookie I suppose there was no real incentive for him to be cute for the camera...

Leaps and Bounds

Liam's development continues to move ahead in leaps and bounds. Last week he suddenly started doing a number of new things, and it became clear to us that he now understands much of what we say. The new development that I appreciate the most is his budding sense of humor. He has started giggling (on his own, without prompting) at what he thinks is funny or looking at us for a laugh when he does something he thinks we should find funny. Baby giggles are a great cure for work day grumbles. He is also fond of standing next to furniture or a doorway and "hiding," then telling us "Boo!" This game is one of his favorites because when he says boo, we say "Ahh!" Something else he recently picked up is kissing his hand and saying "Mwah!" when he sees someone leaving. The other day he sent me off to work with a "Mwah!" and it totally made my day. (Yes, I have tried to get it on video, but as soon as the camera comes out, he is far more interested in the camera than doing what I'm asking him to do. Just give me some time...) Of course his "no" is getting even more discernible and emphatic. He also waves and says "hi" or "haaaeee" sometimes, and it has been fun to see him start mimicking things like talking on a cell phone or wiping the coffee table (he sees Mommy do that a lot). Now is the time to become a lot more self-conscious about bad habits...

It's hard to believe all of that was just last week! Who knows what this week will bring? Pretty soon he will be picking things up so fast I won't be able to keep up an inventory on his new skills. If he continues at this pace, we may be able to hold little one or two-word conversations with him before long. He recently had his 15 month "well baby" check-up with the pediatrician, and she seemed pleased to see that Liam was right on schedule with his development. He checked in at 22 lbs. and 31.5 inches, which means he gained 3 lbs. and grew a whopping 1.5 inches in the three months since his last appointment. If the boy didn't burn so many calories buzzing around every day I'm sure he would have gained more--he eats like he has two hollow legs. Liam may be long and skinny, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. Since he hit the 15 month mark we have entered another round of teething, which means Eric and I are sleeping less. Those almost nightly rounds of pacing the floor with a crying baby are a continual lesson in patience and sleep deprivation. They have also convinced me (yet again) that caffeine was specially invented for exhausted parents!