First Ultrasound of Baby#2

Here's one of the first glimpses we've had of baby#2. It looks like the baby is healthy and growing well! I'm about 3 months now and I feel wonderful now that the first trimester exhaustion is starting to wear off.

Trying to explain to my brother Joel that I'm pregnant is a little bit tricky...our conversation went something like this...

-Joel, do you know that I'm going to have a baby?

-Where is it?

-In my tummy.

-Can I see?

(I lift my shirt up and explain to Joel that it's very tiny and inside of my tummy)

-Where is it?

-In my tummy.

-WHERE? I want to see it!

-You can't see it - not yet. We have to wait until summer to see the baby. It's in my tummy.

-WHERE?!?!? I WANT TO SEE IT!

After much persuasion, I finally manage to convince Joel that he has to wait to see the baby because I need to carry it in my tummy for a while. Joel then thinks for a while, walks over to the nativity display, picks up the baby Jesus, shoves it under his shirt and says to me with much determination:

-I'm going to carry baby Jesus in my tummy.

You do that, Joel. You do that.

Mommy, I lost my pants!

Poor Liam has a pair of overalls with a broken strap. The strap that isn't broken just slips off his shoulders and the result is quite funny...for everybody but him.

Home Sweet Home

Daddy's home! Nialle has been recuperating well at home and even though he can't hold Liam, he's been getting in some quality snuggle time.

Here's Daddy and Liam reading a book together. It's early in the morning, so Nialle still has bedhead. Liam doesn't like to be read to, but he does enjoy books if you point out things in the pictures and discuss it like civilized folks.

Snow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Nialle and I took Liam outside yesterday morning to enjoy the first snow fall of the year. Liam took one step outside, put his hand in the snow and promptly started to cry. Thankfully, it didn't take long before he was happily tromping through the yard!

...it also didn't take long before Liam had a spill ...

Papa and Liam...doesn't the hedge look so pretty with the snow on it?

...our house...both attic vent covers fell off this summer and we still haven't gotten around to putting them back up...looks like we'll be waiting until spring to do that now!


Only 50 days left until Christmas! Can't you just feel it in the air????

Liam Using Sign Language

Today Liam used sign language for the second time ever! It was a surprise because we haven't been very consistent with teaching him how to sign. It happened after supper and Liam was fussing to get out of his chair so I asked him if he was all done and he signed that he was! Pretty cool!



This is a great incentive to teach him more sign language!

Fall at Our House

We moved in around the beginning of November last year, so this year was the first time I got to see our Mountain Ash in all it's glory! After I took this picture, the leaves got even redder...I love it!


















Joel and Josiah came over for on their birthday for a special lunch with Liam and me. Of course, all three of them got in some "Wrestle Mania" with my mom.










Nialle's sisters, Carly and Katie, came over for Thanksgiving. Of course Liam was smothered with love from these two! Both of these girls thoroughly enjoy being aunties!

And Liam? Well, this picture sums up his current status around here!

Liam finally has two teeth - he got his top right tooth first and then his lower left tooth! Life has been pretty exciting ever since!

Liam's latest fascination is dropping things down the stairs. At the end of the day, our staircase is riddled with teddies, blocks, pillows, socks and whatever else he can chuck over the side of the baby gate. Liam also has learned he likes to drop things down the heat register upstairs. Fabulous.


The other day, Liam discovered where I keep the treats I take along with me when I go subbing. He is very good at discretely taking the wrapper off of a sucker and happily goes about his business. I'm discovering sticky hand prints everywhere now!







I'm back subbing part-time. It's nice to be out and about again, but it's always nicer to come home to Liam.

That's been our fall so far...and fall always ushers in my favorite time of year - Christmas!

?

Just checked in on Liam to see how he was napping and this is what I found...


He'd burrowed underneath the pad that lays at the bottom of the playpen. I can't imagine it's very comfortable!

I'm Gonna Getchu!

Liam loves to get chased around the house! I know this video isn't very good, but I think you Grandmas will love to hear Liam squealing and laughing like crazy!

The idea of the game is that Liam goes looking for Nialle and when he finds him, Nialle makes growly noises and tries to catch Liam. Liam's job is to try and get to me for safety before Nialle eats him up!

September Update

Sorry we haven't written in a while...

We had our first heavy frost the other night, so now my garden is officially done. On my list is to get my carrots and potatoes in during the next month or so.

I'm on the sub list for the Black Gold district, but haven't received any calls yet. I think that it will be pretty slow until I get better known in the teaching community. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying being home. It's funny how much better it feels being home when you know you could be out working that day!

Liam is growing like a weed and walking everywhere...which includes trying to into the street! He gets away on me pretty quick, so I have to keep a sharp eye out for him The past few days Liam has been playing on his own more and more. He goes into his room and grabs a toy and brings it into the living room where he'll play with it for a while. Then he'll go back to his room for another toy. So far this has kept him quite occupied and I have been getting a lot done around the house (yay!)

At 13 1/2 months, Liam still has no teeth. Sometimes it can be a challenge to get enough food in him because he wants to feed himself, but has problems breaking down the food. To make sure he gets the good food in him, I make a lot of vegetable soups or cook up whatever else he'd like to eat...even though teething sounds pretty miserable, I'm looking forward to the day when I can just hand Liam an apple to munch away on for a snack.

We have a lot of construction happening in our area and Liam is loving it! He stands at the window and watches the backhoes, gravel trucks and skid steers go back and forth along the street. Right now he has his forehead mushed against the window and is trying to get a good glimpse of the guys pouring concrete. He's a boy, alright!

A lot of people comment on how small Liam is for his age. While I try not to make this worry me...the "new mom syndrome" usually kicks in and I think there's something wrong with my kid. Well, yesterday I had to chance to put my fears to rest. My mom and I were looking at my younger brother's health records and found that Liam is actually an inch taller than Nethanel (who is now 6'4") was when he was about Liam's age. It's funny (ok, stupid) the things we woirry about...

I have been knitting whenever I have a spare moment. I'm getting a lot done, but I can't show any pictures because most of the things I'm making are for Christmas. I'd love to post some of the things I'm doing because they are soooo much nicer than anything I've made before...but I guess you'll just have to wait.

Well, Liam and I are going to get our day started now. Sorry there weren't any pictures, but our camera has been a little "iffy" lately...but I'll steal a picture from Grandma Town's blog...hahahaha.

Liam's Photo Gallery

Our friend Kristi did another photo session of Liam on his first birthday. If you want to check them out go to Kristi's blueframe website. Click on the clients tab and enter in our phone number as the password - 3610350.

Liam has a bug bite on his forehead in all the pictures, thank goodness for photoshop!

Kristi is an amazing photographer who specializes in maternity and infant photography. Kristi has taken photos of Liam when he was in my belly, at 2 weeks, 6 months and now a year old. I truly treasure these photos and if you've been to my house, you know that they're hung up everywhere. So, if you're pregnant and reading this (ahem, Victoria and Kathryn) or if you're related to a pregnant lady, maternity photos are a wonderful gift to have and to give!

Liam Walking

Liam walks short distances now. Here we are using a tube of toothpaste to lure him from the couch to the coffee table and back!

Happy Birthday, Liam!

Liam got a very special carrot muffin with a candle for his birthday! He was pretty impressed with the flame! Then it was time for presents...

..oooh, what could it be?

...my very own cell phone! Thanks mom and dad! How many text messages do I get on this thing?

Then it was off to the park with Uncle Jeremy and Aunty Kristi! Aunt Kristi took pictures of Liam for his first birthday and she even made him a very special cupcake. Again, Liam was impressed with the flame! Opening presents was fun - Liam loved to tear off the paper!

Mmm, icing...even Liam's new dinosaur was eating the icing...or is that bird poop on the picnic table???

Liam: Just Mommy and Baby

I was so excited to become a mom. I found out I was pregnant the same day that I was offered a teaching position. I have to say that the pregnancy definitely overshadowed my time of teaching even though the school and students were amazing.

I had a "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" book which I read religiously. I made sure that I read the new week's installment each Wednesday (my weekly anniversary) and tried my hardest not to peek ahead! Each week I'd see how much the baby had grown and what changes were going on in my body. I remember feeling like it was taking forever to start showing! I really didn't pop until about six months - but I wore maternity clothes before then anyways because I was pregnant darnit!

I definitely had the nesting instinct! Even though I was teaching full time, my house was always clean! I also started looking at houses to see if we could afford to move because the one bedroom suite we were in would quickly be too small for the three of us. I remember feeling like we didn't have enough time to get everything done...even though the due date was months away...so the cupboards got a thorough cleaning when I was 4, 6 and 8 months pregnant!

Feeling the baby kick everyday was a perfect assurance of his growth and health. I remember lying in the tub just watching my belly hop all over the place as my circus performer did his somersaults inside. I loved it! Liam was so protected inside me...no worries...no chance for boo boos...I could carry him around all safe and warm.

When Liam came along it felt both natural and unnatural to be a mom. I admit I had to get used to the new lifestyle. It felt weird to be the mom now...I mean the word "mom" had meant my mom for so long! And moms were these older ladies who seemed to have all the answers - I was young and had no idea what I was doing!

See? I just made him cry all the time!

Breastfeeding was wonderful! I relished the chance to be close to Liam. I'd run my hands all over his little body while he quietly nursed - he was so soft and silky. Mmmm...and he smelled like his Lavender body lotion then. I'd often fall asleep propped up in bed while he nursed. We'd stay that way the whole night and when I woke up he'd still be there, usually nursing away on his next feeding.


I worried a lot about everything. I'd often pop into Liam's room while he was sleeping just to make sure he was still breathing. I panicked the first time he slept through the night because I thought something had gone wrong. Silly me.



There have been days when I didn't think I could handle being a mother anymore. Many of those days have been in the past few months as Liam gains more independence and "spunk". I remember watching a movie in our prenatal class which talked about how there would be days when you'd just want to hand the baby over to the father as soon as he walked in from work and then you'd want to say, "Here, you take the baby. I'm taking the night off!" When I watched that movie I thought to myself, "Oh, that will never happen to us!" HAH!

A few weeks ago, after a particularly hard day, I told Nialle that I'd had it and that I'd do the grocery shopping and errand running by myself that Saturday and I'd take my time doing it too! Nialle could stay home and babysit for once. So I marched off that Saturday morning determined to have some ME time. Well, wouldn't you know that I rushed through the groceries and decided the errands could wait until the next week because I missed Liam and wanted to get home to him.


Being a new sister of two much younger brothers was also quite the experience. I hang out with my mom quite a bit and most people confuse the twins as being my kids.

The Three Musketeers

I love you, Liam! Promise me you'll never get married or move away and that you'll always be my little boy!

Kiss Kiss, Smooch Smooch and a Squeeze on your bum!

Liam: His Proud Parents

Once Liam came into the world, Nialle was one proud Papa. He told EVERYONE at church all the finer details about my labour. If I had any dignity left after Liam was born, it was certainly gone after Nialle spoke with everybody!

Once Liam came into the world no one was safe from our bragging either! We thought we had the best kid and that no other child had ever done the things our child had done. Thankfully the "experienced" parents humoured us and listened politely to our stories about our amazing kid.

The other day Liam had a play date with a girl about his age. The other mother talked about her daughter the whole time - it was like Liam wasn't even in the room. (LOL, how could she?) At least I know now that we're not the only parents who are so centered around their child!

Of course, we're not the only ones who brag about Liam. I know a certain Grandmother (ahem, Grandmother Town to be exact) who loves to talk about her perfect grandbaby.


And the Great-Grandparents are just as guilty of bragging about their great-grandson!

We'll always be proud of Liam. Hopefully he'll be proud of us and who we are as parents. Having a child certainly opens your eyes to your weaknesses as an individual. But you just pray that your child ends up with all of your good traits and becomes a better person than you ever will be - right?

Liam: The beginning...

It's almost Liam's birthday and I've been thinking alot about the past year. So, I thought I'd do a "series" of blogs about the past 12 months...more for my records; but you're welcome to walk with me down memory lane!

I was a week overdue and was induced with Cervidil on August 3rd. Almost immediately, I started having "contractions" which felt like cramps and a very bad back ache. I was informed that these were not true contractions, but they were still uncomfortable and physically draining. I remember having a heat pack on my back to help alleviate some of the pain. Since I was so uncomfortable, I didn't feel like doing too much, so I sat in front of the TV watching season 4 of CSI and waited to go into labor. But nothing happened. We walked around the block hoping that would trigger something. But still nothing happened. I didn't sleep very good that night because I kept having "contractions" and was uncomfortable no matter what position I laid in.

On the morning of the 4th, I was given Cervidil again. Not a nice experience. It's an uncomfortable procedure and I was disappointed that I still hadn't gone into labor. We left the hospital and went back home to watch more CSI and see if anything would progress.

I finally went into labor around lunchtime. Everything was going well and I was dilating perfectly. Only two people at a time were allowed in the room, so Nialle was there with me the entire time while our mothers took turns helping me through my contractions. I was pretty pleased with how I was progressing. Except I stalled once I had dilated to 4 cm. At about 9pm, I was given Oxytocin to help speed things up. Then the contractions really started coming and they came so hard! I was throwing up with some of the contractions and had to lie on my side because I was on the drip. I really just wanted to walk around the room, but had to stay put. I think I was only on the Oxytocin for about 10 min before I decided that I wanted an epidural and I wanted it now! Originally I had been hoping to get through the labor without any pain medication, but enough was enough...I was tired and cranky and just plain scared at what was happening to my body.

The euphoria of the epidural was amazing. After two days of being uncomfortable and feeling every ache and pain, I had the opportunity to lay on the hospital bed and feel nothing at all. My contractions progressed without me having to endure any more pain! Finally, just before midnight on the 4th, I felt pressure - though I had to push. 45 min later, around 1 am on August 5th, Liam arrived in the world - barely making a peep. Because he didn't cry and was very pale, Liam was rushed over to the warming table to be inspected. I remember everyone telling me how beautiful he was- but I couldn't see him at all because my mom, Nialle's mom and Nialle were all blocking the view. I think I finally told Nialle to "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY" so I could see Liam.




It was then that I saw him. There he was! My son! So long and white and perfect! I remember thinking that he looked a lot like Nialle even then. Holding him for the first time was a magical thing...he was so warm and small. He looked right into my eyes and I knew he was mine - all mine.


Liam had to be observed for an hour, so we parted ways and I went to our room to wait for him to return. I was so excited! I had had a boy! I couldn't wait to hold him again and just get to know every inch of his body. Liam was swaddled, but I remember telling my mom that I wanted to unwrap him and just look him over and get to know every bit of my little boy.

Around 3 am Liam was brought into my room to be washed by a nurse. I was resting on the bed, so she brought the basin next to me so I could watch. I was laying down, so I didn't have a very good view. But I did see a pointy nose poking up above the rim of the basin and I thought to myself, "Oh no, what have I done? He has my nose!"

It was an absolute thrill to hand Liam over to our moms and watch them with him. The love on their faces and the happiness they expressed at meeting their grandchild was the best gift I ever got to give both of them.



My dad was very awkward with Liam at first...he held him like he was a china doll. You'd never have guessed my dad raised 6 kids by the way he held Liam! Don't worry, Dad's a natural now.


Nialle's dad was so proud of Liam that if you look back at the pictures from the hospital, you'd think HE was the dad!

August 5th, was my first day as a mom. It's the best job I've ever had!

Liam at 11 months

Liam took his first steps when he was 10 1/2 months old! Do you think we could get him to take another step since?? Forget it! This kid prefers to walk with his push car.

Liam is a goofy, fun-loving little man. He plays peekaboo by standing around the corner and popping his head out at you (at which point you're supposed to act very surprised). Liam also plays peekaboo like this ...


...we're still working on getting him to cover both eyes.

He also crawls around the house and "growls" at me like a lion (so I act very scared and run away from him). He loves it!

Nialle does the craziest things with Liam. He throws him around in the air upside down and does the general rough-housing that most fathers seem to do with their kids. I try not to imagine Liam falling and cracking his head open when Nialle plays with him...


Liam now says "Mama" for me and "Dada" for Nialle. It's the cutest thing!

Liam still looks forward to bathtime everyday. Sometimes he'll crawl into the bathroom and stand at the tub and make motions and noises to tell me he wants to get in.



As for Liam's health, he is doing much better! We found out last Friday that he has viral pneumonia, so he's been resting a lot and taking it easy. For a while he was taking 3 naps a day, but he's back down to 2 naps, so I think he's feeling like his old self.

Funny Farm

Raising twins doesn't seem very easy, but I think the funny things they do help to counteract all the trouble they get into.

My mom has a hilarious post on Joel and Josiah! It's sure to make your day!

Summer at My House

So, I haven't blogged too much lately...partly because I don't really know what to write about.

Seriously, I'm a 25 year-old possessed by an octogenarian Oma - what could I possibly have to say? When most people my age are hanging out at Brewsters, I'm at home knitting in my pajamas. I like sensible underwear. I call teenagers "whipper-snappers". I don't like loud music. I'm considering crocheting doilies for the back of our couch and chairs.

But anyways, this Oma loves summer. When Liam goes down for his nap, I head out to the garden and either weed or water. Let me show you what's growing!

...peas

....zucchini

....Tiny Tim tomatoes

....delphiniums

...maiden pinks

...irises

...daylilies

Here's the full view of the vegetable garden

The herb garden


Side view of the house (just 'cuz)



So anyway, that's what I've been up to lately! I plan on posting soon about Liam...if I can find him under my knitting