18 months

As mentioned in my last post, Liam is now a year and a half. When that happened I'll never know. I was so caught up in his tantrum throwing that I didn't share about his checkup. Riveting stuff, I know. But I'm sharing it for your boring pleasure anyway. Liam is 33.5 inches long and 27 lbs. 3 oz. putting him in the 75th percentile for his age. The doc asked how many words he knew and I responded with, "About 10 or 15," to which Paul interrupted and said, "More like 25 to 50." So we went home and compiled a list of words he knows. There are over 70! How amazing is that! Paul wants me to share the list on here but I think that's a bit much. Just know the list includes such words as cup, no, uh-oh, dog, toe, fish, trash, and booby. All the necessities. The doctor also ordered a blood test for lead and anemia, both with negative results. Giving the blood was more traumatic for me than for Liam, I think. I don't do well with needles or with people hurting my child. Liam cried but as we stood up to leave, he told the nurse, through tears, "Thank you. Bye bye." How sweet is that! Now he's off to get his picture taken and I can't help but start planning his 2nd birthday party.

Cheer

 You had to know it was coming. Today I'm flashing back to the days when I was a cheerleader. Well, I was a cheerleader for, like, a million years so, more particularly, I'm flashing back to a time when I worked and cheered at RC Club Cheer.

The above photo was taken by my supportive husband as he sat watching a private lesson I was taking. Bored out of his mind I'm sure. By the looks of the gigantic fan and the open door on the left I'm assuming it was a hot day in the sweltering gym. It was probably the kind of day we used to dread and looking back on it now I feel so homesick for it. Well, maybe not homesick but definitely nostalgic. I do feel homesick for the gym itself though. It was an incredible 4 years of my life and I love the memories I made and the people I met there. I don't miss getting punched in the face by flying elbows or catching sweaty, slippery people who are flying at you from unsafe distances. And I don't miss spending entire weekends at a competition just to perform for 2.5 minutes. But I do miss the feeling you have after an incredible workout (I really need to do it more often) and the accomplishment you feel after finally hitting a stunt or a tumbling pass that you've been working on for months. I really loved it for a really long time and it will always be a part of me.

Oh, and I miss wearing a half top and feeling confident in it. I've had a kid. I'm just saying.

Birds

Today Liam and I had a play date at Hesperia Lake Park to feed the ducks and play on the playground. I had never been there before but I was looking forward to it because Liam absolutely loves feeding ducks. We spend a good part of our trips to Disneyland feeding the ducks. So I show up today, whole loaf of bread in tow, and I realize that I'm the only one who showed up for the play date. Not a problem. Liam was having a good time and we had the whole park to ourselves. Then we took the bread out. Two ducks came right up to us! Then four, then ten, then hundreds! I swear I'm not exaggerating. Okay, maybe like one hundred. Then the geese came. Oh. My. Lord! They were bigger than Liam and they were honking loudly in our faces and were trying to grab our food out of our hands. I end up standing on top of our picnic table holding Liam as he throws bread by the slice at these very loud, very pushy creatures. He was holding on tight trying not to cry and I was doing the same. Then it occurred to me. Stop feeding them! So we did and they got angry and were trying to figure out a way to hoist their floppy feet and fat bellies up onto the table. They were going to murder me and eat my baby. Okay, now I'm exaggerating. But it did cross my mind to call 911 since there was no one there to hear me scream if things got any uglier. I called Paul and he said I was fine and to just make loud noises but they had lost interest and moved on by that point. The one hundred ducks all laid down and turned their heads around to take a nap by our table in case we decided to feel generous again but the geese were gone. Whew! I picked up the bag of bread to put it back in Liams backpack when they decided to come back. I started stomping on the table and yelling at them and shooing and they didn't even flinch. Seriously this should have been caught on tape. They eventually lost interest again and I ran as fast as I could to the car and we made it home safely. I don't think I will ever go back. Well, at least not by myself.

Tantrums

Liam turned 18 months on Sunday so we have been busy with the festivities of it all. He had his checkup on Monday (never fun) and he has pictures next week and, oh yeah, he has decided to enter his terrible/ terrific twos. I've never seen such an adorable person throw such an ugly tantrum. I have to be honest and say that it scares me to death! I'm shaking in my boots over here. The hardest part about having a baby with colic was that he was upset and there was almost nothing I could do to make him feel better. I feel like we're heading there again. Of course, it's not as bad as before because this time I know what's wrong. He's mad. Really, really mad. And it's my job to make sure he knows that he can't have every little thing he wants as fast as he wants it. But it's hard. I don't want him to be upset. I hate seeing him cry and I hate that he's not as easily distracted and that he doesn't respond to my attempts to make him feel better.

Paul and I finally had our sushi date yesterday and we discussed it so I don't feel as dreadful as I did. Sometimes you just need that. It's like a huddle where you get to take a breath, wipe your sweat off and discuss your next play before you run back into the game. We discussed how it's normal at this age, how he's doing it because he doesn't know how else to express himself and how he will outgrow it as he matures and as we learn just like every other developmental stage. Still, I'm not looking forward to it and I'm dreading the day it happens in public.

San Francisco

This is Paul and I on our first anniversary. We were so very broke but wanted to do something fun to celebrate so we drove up to San Francisco and stayed in a really crummy hotel for a few days. Seriously, it was the size of our closet and the carpet was always wet from a leaky air conditioner. We spent our first night there watching out the window as a police officer threatened to beat up a bum. But we managed to look past our accomodations and enjoy our modest vacation. We really had a great time and made some amazing memories.

On our last day there we were completely out of cash so we found a park and sat there. Looking back on it, it seems kinda pathetic but at the time we really didn't care and we just enjoyed each other's company. That's actually how our entire first couple of years were. We were broke and in love and didn't know any different. Sure, we stressed and we dreamed of better days but knew that when those days came, they would come with more responsibility and less time together. We really weren't in a rush. Truth be told, if we ever go back to San Francisco, yeah, I'd want a fancy dinner by the bay, but then I would want to find that park and just sit there.

Playroom Plans

When we bought our house, one of the biggest selling points for us was the loft. We LOVE having a loft. We had so many plans for it when we moved in. It's the first room that was completely decorated and we were excited to create a "game room." Ah, the dreams you have before parenthood. We made Paul's mom keep the pool table she wanted to get rid of so badly because we knew we wanted it in the loft. Truth be told, we have played pool MAYBE five times in the last three years and the table has become our storage/ laundry folding table. Finally, last summer, we took the beautiful ceiling fan down and moved it into our bedroom where we really needed it. Then, in December, we took all of the art and pictures down and moved them downstairs since our walls were pretty bare and we never use the loft. But, I'm still excited about the loft but, instead of planning a game room we will never use I'm planning a "playroom!" I'm soooo excited about this!

I started looking into children's art and I discovered pretty quickly that a lot of it is plain old cheesy. But, here are some ideas and inspiration I've been looking at lately.

The main thing I like about this room is the art. It's homemade art that is hung on twine with clips or clothespins. What a great idea! I'm pretty sure I want to either use this idea or frame some of Liam's works of art. The great thing about the first option is that you can change it out regularly! I also want to put a child's table in the loft and the cubbies in the back are pretty similar to the ones I'm looking into purchasing. Liam has some pretty similar ones in his bedroom but I'd like a set for the playroom for toy storage.

 

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I also really like the cliche "alphabet art" but I'm thinking I want to purchase wooden letters from the craft store and have Liam decorate them with paint or markers or stickers or whatever.

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I really really want a book display.

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And here's another look at some cubbies.

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Also, I would love to move our furniture up to the loft and purchase new stuff for downstairs but I think I just may be dreaming on that one!

Happy Valentine's Day

Liam and I spent the week at playdates making Valentine's Day cards and candy for Daddy. Everyday after work we would greet Paul at the door with his new gift. We didn't plan it that way. It just happened. And I loved it! I loved making crafts with Liam. He really impressed me with his abilities. I had no idea he could glue things together already, let alone sit at a table without me and concentrate on something for longer than 2 minutes! I loved how all day he would point at his card or candy and say, "Dada." I loved how when we heard the garage door open at the end of the day we would run and grab our gift and wait anxiously for Paul to get out of the car so we could show him what we made. I loved how proud Liam looked as he gave his daddy a gift and I loved how Paul lit up when he saw it. I loved hearing Paul sigh and say, "Thank you! It's so nice to be home!" And I loved watching Liam devour the candy we made that he waited so patiently to open. Well, okay, the neat freak in me didn't really love that but I loved that it made us laugh and I love that Paul volunteered to clean him up! Now, we will be spending V-Day at home with pizza and a movie! Happy Valentine's Day!

We're Baaaack!

We lasted almost two months without Disneyland passes. That doesn't sound that long but it felt like fooorrreevver! We went back this week and it was so much fun! Bringing a Mickey Mouse loving 17 month old to Disneyland is kinda like Christmas morning. But I can go on forever and I know I've talked about Disneyland in like 5 posts already so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Boo and Emilia

There once was a time when Boo and Emilia were my babies. Well, they still are but I have to admit that I don't spend as much time with them these days as I used to, or as much as I should. And, at times, they walk on very thin ice with me. Well, Emilia does at least. So I've decided to dedicate a flashback to them. They made me into one of those dog people who mails out Christmas cards with pictures of them in it and I will never be the same.

We got Boo on Halloween in 2006. Hence the name Boo. He was so tiny and so adorable!

And he just got cuter...

and cuter.

Then he took over the house. Starting with the couch.

Then the bed.

Then we got Emilia. I have to point out that Paul is the one who picked her. I told him she seemed a little nutty and he assured me that she would be able to keep up with Boo. Well, I was right. I love her to death but she has a few screws loose. Like, you can talk to Boo like a person and he knows what you're saying and can follow instructions. Emilia just sits there with a blank stare. That's the only expression she has. A blank stare. Poor thing.

But she's so loving.

And she has become Boo's partner in crime. 

I'm glad they have each other to keep them company especially since we have reclaimed our home. It's now Liam's job to commandeer our bed and mess up our carpet.

What we've been up to

This is what we have been up to lately...

Hugging our toys on the front porch,

lining our Disney characters up on the floor when we have a messy face,

and on the stairs,

eating grapes by the bunch while rocking on our bike,

and reading Julie and Julia.

No, really.