friends thanksgiving

Another Friends Thanksgiving has gone by. It was a wonderful night, good food and even better company! Here's a photo from this year's dinner.
Hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving,
Nicole

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

As much as I enjoy all the blogs that my friends maintain, I seem to have fallen short on my own. Its now November and I haven't posted since September. Its a shame because there are so many really fun moments with Liam happening these days that I want to share with our friends and family who live a little farther away. His language skills have exploded and we have been having a lot of fun getting to know whats going in his mind a little bit more.

Many of you know how much I love love love Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd share a little bit of how we are starting to get ready for the holiday in our house. This weekend we will be hosting our annual "friends thanksgiving" party. We started this tradition years ago and its become one of the highlights of our whole holiday season. With parents and family living out of town we often travel for the holiday itself, which means.... no left overs. :( Also, since Thanksgiving Day is so often spent with immediate family, Jon and I were looking for a way to celebrate and be thankful for our "second family", our friends who provide us so much support throughout the year. And so, "friends thanksgiving" was born. I am so looking forward to saturday!

In the meantime, Liam and I have been talking a lot about the holidays and I've been trying to introduce him to some of the themes that he'll see this year. The other morning I was telling Liam about thanksgiving and how its a great time to say thank you. This also has coincided with deciding to teach Liam about praying. This is the result:

Liam : dee gawd (dear God)
Thank you.
GOOD BYE!! (with great enthusiasm)

Its awesome.

Sept 2010 #2

Today seemed like the first real day of autumn here in Chicago. It barely got above 60 and the leaves have started to flutter their way to the ground. I have to admit... I love it! I adore the changing of the season and particularly enjoy the fall. We had intended to go apple picking today, but didn't actually make it when we awoke this morning an remembered that our house was kind of a disaster. Instead we stayed close to home and cleaned and tidied in preparation for another week.
Liam's language abilities are growing so rapidly these days we have to be quite careful. It isn't a surprise to hear the last word of a sentence repeated by our little guy, no matter what the word is. We learned our lesson quickly when Liam had something special to share with us after watching the Notre Dame V. Michigan game. I wont go into what he said, but if you know how the game turned out its not hard to imagine. In any case, having learned our lesson we delight in hearing him try to replicate so many words. He now asks to PLAAAAAAAAY (its drawn out like someone sounding it out for the first time), in his "houfs" (the play house he has in the yard). He orders, "come" and "go" and exclaims "dark!" when the lights go off and "light!" when he wants to turn them back on. The words are countless but they give us a little peak into what he's thinking and make it more difficult to decline his demands. (this morning it was "DONNT?"- which is donut").

September 2010

I've uploaded a few fun pictures of Liam getting ready for swimming a few weeks back. He doesn't actually wear the goggles, but this day he was having fun playing with them before we left the house. Liam goes swimming roughly once a week and seems to really love it. I am hopeful that it's something he'll continue to enjoy as he grows older.

August 2010

This week we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. Hooray for us. I have to say, life is good...still :) We're really lucky, and we work hard at it...both. In any case, Liam stayed with my mom overnight while we escaped to an afternoon on Michigan avenue, a massage, a fancy dinner and hotel. As for Liam, I missed him... a little :).
I am not sure who wore who out though, Liam or my mom. Liam got cranky early this evening and sweetly requested to go "up, up!" (his bed is upstairs and he decided he'd like to go to bed an hour and a half early this evening!) My mom mean while is out celebrating her high school reunion. Maybe Jon and I need to take some tips on how to wear out our toddler.

Otherwise, our house has settled into a rhythm that is quite lovely. We've recently renewed our commitment to home cooking. Jon has been all too happy to support that commitment with some really wonderful grilling. When we moved he got a new grill and he's really enjoyed this "grilling season" (aka summer) mastering his grill. As a special indulgence we also became proud owners of an ice cream machine and we are churning out summer favorites like strawberry and peach ice cream as well as a few sorbets. YUM! I'm also a proud gardener this summer and have grown some lovely tomatoes and lots of basil. Past attempts at basil resulted in.... embarrassment - despite the fact that it is pretty much the easiest thing to grow. Hooray for second chances and plenty of rain this summer :). Liam has really enjoyed watering the plants. Though the other morning my mom reported that he was feeding the tomato plants cheerios.

We are again enjoying Saturday morning trips to the farmers markets. One farmers market is very close to the Lincoln Park zoo and we popped over to show Liam the gorillas, which I especially love. I got him up to the glass and happily several of the gorillas were very close. I was so excited to see Liam's reaction. He however, promptly turned 180 degrees and stood staring carefully at all the people as they looked in at the gorilla. Hhrumf. Should I have been surprised that he had his own plan...really?



(Further evidence in the attached photographs of Liam going his own way.... eating paint. (Don't worry is completely safe, but lesson learned by me about stepping away to take a photo. )

Eye Surgery

I can't believe its July already. I haven't been a diligent blogger lately as its been a busy time in our house as of late. Over and above normally hectic work schedules and lovely visits from family and friends, Liam had eye surgery last week. We'd been anticipating this for sometime and some of you may have noticed his eyes doing some wonky things is pictures I've posted in the past. Liam has albinism, which many of you know, which causes not just his fair coloring but also some complications with his vision. Since his diagnosis around this time last year we've been closely watching his eyes and the development of his vision. Last week, he had a surgery on both eyes to adjust muscles that were causing "eye-crossing" and also allowing him to primarly see with one eye at a time. We've been really pleased with the results of his surgery. You can see in the close up of his face in the last post that he now has both eyes alligned and, happily, seems to be using them together. Ultimately, this will give him a chance to develop better depth perception. The experience of surgery with a little one is hard because you really can't help them to understand whats going on. I'm glad to have it behind us. :)

Now we can focus on the cold he picked up in the last day or two and teething, again....

June 2010

Misc. Update (May 2010)

Do all kids make this little badger face? (Courtney- we know Charlie did. Here's Liam's version)



I dont have the energy to write prose about what we've been up to- though I'll try for a better update soon. In the meantime, an the Liam update goes as follows:

Loves: Water (pool, tub, etc), saying "hot", his grandparents, opening & closing doors of all kinds
Hates: Being changed, bedtime, being told what to do, cutting teeth
Reading: ~the first 3 pages of every book, the things you can think (dr. suess), really anything he can get his hands on
Listening to: selectively whomever he wants

The Reason.....

why we have to make sure to close our bathroom doors!

13 months

I honestly do not know where the time goes anymore. We were just celebrating Liam's first birthday and now he's already 13 months.
The readers digest version of what we're up to (I'll use bullet points, i am good at that from work :))

• Today Liam had his first swim class at the YMCA. He went with Lizzy and it was, by all accounts, a smashing success. Lizzy said Liam enjoyed the pool, just as soon as he got used to the idea that there were other kids in it. They played games and Liam took to it like a... fish?
  
• New skills: sucking through a straw, scratching, pinching, biting, clearly understands mom and dad, occasionally obeys, trying new sounds, dancing (bouncing and shaking his head - I'll try to get a video), loves Popsicles and independently holds his own (these make your own juice pops are proving helpful as we cut 3 teeth at once... again.)
  

Hmm... only two bullets. Maybe I'm not as good at bullet pointed lists as I thought. :)

12 month check up

All three of us enjoyed our trip to Liam's pediatrician this week for this 12 month check up. We really like Liam's pediatrician and have stayed with him since the first days after Liam's birth. He initially diagnosed Liam's albinism and has been supportive to us as we learned and grew with our little guy over the last year. This check-up was no exception. It was fun to show what a great walker Liam is already and how much he's jibber jabbering. Sometimes this year we've need to focus on certain challenges Liam has while in doctor's appointments. It was great this week to step back and say wow, our son is doing great! no buts, or ifs, or conditions. Just great.

Liam continues to be a little tank, between 75 and 90th percentile in both height and weight. At twelve months he tipped the scales at 24lbs 6oz and was just a touch over 30 inches long. He's certainly is our big guy.

I actually really enjoy our family trips to the pediatrician. Jon's pride in his little bear is almost tangible when he hears how much Liam has grown. Its great! - only matched by how tender Jon is with him in those moments after shots are given. We certainly aren't perfect parents, we get frustrated, tired, and exasperated sometimes. In those doctor vists though, I get to see my husband in his finest light as a dad. Its pretty wonderful.

Happy 1st Birthday !

We've come a long way in a year! Happy Birthday to our little guy.

Easter Egg Hunting Pictures

Finally, I am posting some pictures from our Easter both in Chicago and in South Bend. Liam got to do two Easter egg hunts and fairly quickly seemed to get the idea of what he was supposed to do. The first one was unfortunately during some spring rain showers and Liam welcomed the rain by immediately sitting in the mud. By the end of the hunt he had picked up several eggs and dropped them into his bag (mom forgot the lovely basket she had gotten him at home) and was good and muddy. The weather was better for his second hunt and he got to wear his Easter "outfit" though the sunshine made those eggs a little harder for his sensitive eyes to spot. The plastic eggs were a big hit after the fact as fun new toys that Liam liked to chew on.

In other news, we're in the process of a move so life is a little hectic and less organized in our home these days. While Liam is learning new game and trying new words he is also testing his physical strength and exerting his will. We're navigating the new territory of temper tantrums and re-baby proofing.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! It was a busy weekend in our house. I'd been trying to decide whether we could squeeze a trip to South Bend this weekend for the last several weeks. On of my best-est friends was in town and it has seemed like ages since I'd seen her. Of course we had to work it out with work that needed to be done and my mom being in town, but we did end up wisking away to South Bend to celebrate Easter.

My nerves about Liam not being able to sleep well away from his crib were confirmed. We had a miserable night's sleep. BUT, we were lucky enough to have mom with us and she spent the early morning hours with Liam while we parents got an hour or two of shut eye. I wish I could better describe it but when it became clear he wasnt going back to sleep in his pack'n play we let him into our bed and he squirmed and wiggled and flopped. I do believe the he was laying on top of my head at some point and I didnt even protest, thinking that if he would actually sleep like that I could bear it.

Anyway, there was an egg hunt and a really wonderful Easter meal with great company. We had such a great time before we had to pack back into the car and head back into the city to get ready for tomorrow. I have lots of great Easter pictures, but most are on my mom's camera. So while you wait for a few of those, her are some from the last week:

Museum Trip

Liam and I went to the museum this afternoon.

On the downside, we had to wait in line for our entrance ticket for nearly a half hour. On the upside, our tickets were free since my work is a sponsor of the museum.

We went to the little kids hands on section. Liam adored the water table. It was a relatively short visit but a great indoor option since it was snowing outside. I know Liam likes to get our of the house during the day and I definitely need to get out and do something. The walls of our apartment sometimes seem to close in around me when liam gets fussy and the afternoon is stretching out before us.

Now that we know what fun the museum can be, I am sure we'll go back. I've attached some pictures of Liam playing in the little kids zone and in his change of clothes after he got all wet a the water section. Can you tell he's tuckered out in the last photo? :) Perfect.

We are so happy to welcome Spring today! Sadly mother nature is throwing us a curve ball with SNOW. This last week has been in the 60s and its been great for trips to the park and walks around the neighborhood. Liam is getting some practice wearing his sunglasses and we just got him an adorable little ball cap to keep his head covered. Without his sunglasses he literally can't see when its bright out. Lizzy mentioned they forgot the glasses for the park the other day and Liam spent his time there wandering about in the grass. He likes the slide and swings already, which isn't a surprise from this energetic boy.

Its amazing how quickly he's learning new things. He's waving and clapping, shutting doors, playing peek-a-boo, eating finger foods on his own, picking books off the shelf and bringing them to us to read. We are also seeing evidence that he understands what we are saying to him. Yesterday I told him to take a book over to Dad to read it. And he did just that! Not all things are great to learn though, we found out this week that he can take the outlet covers off. UGGH!

I remember a friend of ours telling me a year ago how much fun it is to get to know your child; to see their personality unfold over time. I feel like we are really seeing exactly that. I wonder will this boy be mischievous like his dad? will he continue to be as determined and focused as he is now? Who will he be? What will he be like?

Photos

The weather here was warmer than it has been in months today. It looks like spring is around the corner (knock on wood). I've worried a little lately about how Liam will handle the sunnier weather. Many of you know his eyes and skin are really sensative to the sun. As a little baby last year many attempts to spend time outside resulted in wimpering and Liam being generally uncomfortable. I've read that most children with albinism are able to do all of the things they want to outside, with the help of protective clothing, sunscreen, and sunglasses. Today's warmer weather was the first chance in a while to see if Liam would keep his sunglasses on. He's gotten really good at pulling them off but I keep hoping that he'll discover that they are helpful and decide to keep them on. Our trip to the park this afternoon was a test of this. He did end up keeping his sunglasses on (with the help of a band that goes around his head) and we had a fun time. He went on the swings and then wandered around the playground. I'm looking forward to the fun we'll be able to have outdoors!

Other pictures from this week are of Liam having fun in the "bath tub". These are the last days for his baby tub. We dont have a real tub, just a shower. So, he's still using his baby bath, which he really loves. When we move he'll make the move to the real tub. I imagine he'll love it just as much. :)

Such a fun age..

Once again, the weekend came and went and I didnt have a chance to post anything. Our weekends get swept away with all the errand running from the week and time devoted to Liam. The last weeks have been very busy with work, so I've been trying to make our weekends the best possible time together.

This last Saturday Liam and I made a trip to South Bend to see old friends. Liam became fast friends with many of the people we love so much, which is really fun to watch. He especially enjoyed playing with toys at everyone elses house. Something about other people's toys is so exciting.

I can't tell you how many times in the last week or two I've mentioned to people what a great stage Liam's in. He's mostly good natured and his smile is so great. He gives kisses and hugs, which melt the heart. Only problem is that those kisses have started to include bitting, which is actually kinda painful. He's really stressing his independance and enjoys exploring new people and places. He's so curious. Some one asked what his favorite toys these days are, and I had to admit that his favorite toys seem to be non-toys (cups, drawers, doors, pots and pans, etc..) I can't imagine living everyday with the sense of wonder that he has for everything.

Liam's new tricks include clapping and waving, and sadly.. hitting.

Sorry no pictures.

Photos from the week

Photos from this week:
a) trying on his swimmy suit, as we prepare for a visit to a local pool in the near future
b) Shopping for a swim diaper at Target ...


We'll let you know how it goes .. :)

Also a bonus photo for my mom- look at him drinking from the cup you gave him so many months ago! I was excited to show you how he's gotten good at it. I snapped this photo. He then almost immediately spilled what was left in the cup down his front and on his pants and I had to change him. Sigh. Itty bitty steps towards feeding himself.... some might say.. baby steps.

Lots to say...

Not me, ... Liam. :) He has moments each day when he is especially chatty. I know before long his babble will turn into real words, but for now I cant even tell you how much I enjoy the sing song of his babble. Its really fun to listen to and curious to imagine what he thinks he might be saying- if anything. He has all kinds of things to say, so I'm letting him tell you himself... see the video (sorry its grainy )

In other news, We spent a stressful weekend last week looking for a new apartment. We are feeling cramped where we are and are looking for some more space. We are thrilled to say that we found a wonderful apartment and we couldn't be happier about. There is a big side yard and playground across the street. We'll be in a quiet neighborhood, though still living downtown. Hopefully we'll meet friends and other little kids in our new neighborhood. We'll have lots of space so we hope to have lots of visitors! We'll be making the move sometime in April.

Misc. Photos

i'll post something soon. in the meantime...