Here is the skating video

This video is from our camera, so the quality isn't great. You'll get the idea though.

Only 362 days until the madness next year!

Christmas was a little hectic this year, but we made it. The ice storm and lack of power seriously delayed a few things. I didn't finish shopping as early as I would have liked, we put our Christmas tree up at 11 pm on Christmas eve and I was only able to finish one of my uncle's mittens. Not to mention the surprise birthday party for my parents 2 days after Christmas. The house is back in order and we are getting back into our routines starting today!

One of my favorite presents that I bought for Liam is a pair of double runner ice skates. They are so cute and retro, I had to buy them. We brought him ice skating the day after Christmas and he had a blast! He wanted to stay on the ice longer, but my back couldn't take holding him up any more. I'm trying to upload a video to youtube. If I'm successful I'll post it here. Here is a picture of his first time skating.

It's been a rough three weeks.

I haven't posted in a while because we have had a lot going on. I wish I could say they were good things keeping us busy.

Jules, our black lab, was hit by a car and sadly didn't make it. We miss her.


We had a nasty ice storm that left us without power and water for 4 days. Since the ice storm we have also had two snow storms. I'm starting to really regret living in New England. I think it is time for a change.

Here are some pictures of the ice storm. I don't think they really capture how bad it was. Most were taken from the car as we were attempting to drive out of town.

More projects....

Liam and Bry sharing a cupcake at Emma's princess party. Don't they look like they are enjoying it.

I made this fitted diaper for Liam. It has a robot knit print on the outside and bamboo fleece and bamboo double terry on the inside. It is so soft and cute. The bum it goes on it pretty cute too!

My knitting addiction is getting worse. I have so many projects lined up. I need to become best friends with the owner of our local yarn shop. I stayed up late and knit for 4 hours straight to finish this hat. It is a Hudson Hat knit from a pattern from Ky Baby Knits. I made a few changes to it. Liam wore it around the house this morning. Good thing this kid loves to wear hats.

New Outfit

I would love to take the credit, but I didn't make this one. This awesome set from Wild Child Woolies came today. I put it on Liam and snapped a couple of picture right away. He was being so goofy, so the pictures are not very good. I wish I could get the wool interlock that I sew to cooperate with me, like Angela from Wild Child Woolies does. She has some serious talent.

On a side note, Liam learned to hold milk in his mouth and slowly let it dribble down his face and onto his brand new shirt. I have to put it in the wash already. He only wore it for a hour or so.

Liam's 18 Month Checkup

Liam had his 18 month checkup today. He'll be 18 months in 5 days. He is developing great. He has a bigger vocabulary than expected for his age. He says at least 45 words and is putting 2 and 3 word sentences together. He still signs about 60 words. We haven't really added any signs, although he recently made one up for guitar. He is right on target with everything else. He is 30.5 inches tall (5%) and 24 lbs 9 oz (25-50%).

He has also started potty learning. He tells me "the pee" and then he sits on the potty. He is very proud when he goes. I'm not sure how long he will be interested in this, since he is so young, but I'll go with it for now.

New Longies for Liam

I knit Liam a new pair of pants. I've been working on these off and on for about a month. I'm glad to finally be finished. Now I'm going to knit him a matching hat. I really love the colors in this yarn. I had my eye on it at the Local Yarn Shop for a while!

YMCA Here We Come

Liam, Bryan and I joined the YMCA yesterday. I'm going to my fitness center orientation and I'm dropping Liam off at the child watch program. I hope he doesn't freak out! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Mama needs some exercise.

I haven't blogged in a while......

We've had lots going on, so I haven't had a chance to blog in a while. Here are some pictures from the end of October.

I knit Liam this hat using the Ky Baby Ear Cozy Pattern. I think it is soooo cute. It is knit in a really soft super wash 100% wool. He should stay nice and warm.




We had fun on Halloween. Liam was a bear. We went to a few houses, then he helped to pass out candy at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He was doing a great job until Batman showed up. He was so afraid of him. It turned him off to giving out candy. Before that he was putting candy in the kids' bags and saying "bye" as they left.


Liam also tried his first lollipop. We don't really let him have candy but he chewed the wrapper off of it, so I couldn't say no after all that work breaking into it.

Pumpkins

Liam and I went to Howe's Farm Stand to pick a pumpkin. He had so much fun running around and touching EVERY pumpkin there. We ended up picking a 34 lb. pumpkin and 2 little baby ones. For some reason he calls them "boos". I have no idea where he picked that up, but he insists that they are "boos" not pumpkins.

On a side note.... did you know that pumpkins are a fruit? I had no idea. I assumed they are vegetables like a squash. Hmmmmm. Maybe squash is a fruit too.

Our Little NE Patriots Fan

Liam loves watching football with Daddy. I made him this fleece jumper and hat for game days. Now he can show his support for his team. I brought him to the grocery store in this outfit and so many people commented on how cute he looked. I love making him one of a kind outfits. I also got to use my new snap press on this one. I'm waiting for some fabric that I recently ordered. As soon as it is in, I'm going to make him some snapping diapers.

Our Dinner Conversation

Today at dinner we had corn on the cob. Liam loves it! I had a corn holder that had a basketball on the end. Liam kept saying ball.... which actually comes out... "bawwww". At one point he handed me his corn...

Me...."Liam, do you want your corn?"
Liam...."NO, the ball".
Me to Bryan.... "Did he just say no the ball?"
Bryan... "yup".

When did Liam start putting three words together? He had never even put two words together before today. Later he told Bry, "no, the bubbles".

The Power of "NO".

Liam has discovered the power associated with the word "no". About 3 days ago, he started saying it. Now he repeats it and shakes his head when I ask him to do things. It is still cute. I'm not sure it will be cute for much longer though.

Here are the other words he is currently saying:
no, mama, dada, hi, bye, bubble, nana, papa, bupa (grandpa), mar ma (grandma), ball, baby, what's this, tickle, whee, wow, two, doggie, bat, bee.

He repeats lots of words, but these are the ones that he says on his own.

My Child is Briliant

I know.... everyone thinks their child is brilliant.

Today Liam took the letter that came with the Signing Time DVDs that we previewed. He pointed to the top of the letter head where the "Signing Time" logo is and said..... "baby". When he wants to watch Baby Signing Time he usually signs baby. I just think it is amazing that he put it all together. He recognized the logo, the sign he has learned and spoke the word.

Baby Signing Time is Back

Liam and I had the opportunity to review the two newest additions to the Baby Signing Time series, “Volume 3: A New Day” and “Volume 4: Let’s Be Friends”. The songs are fun and upbeat. Rachel adds a little extra pizzazz to the songs in these DVD’s. My husband even noticed that the songs are a little more mature. “Strollin” in Volume 3, is one of Liam’s new favorites. As you would expect from the Signing Time DVD’s there is repetition, to help with learning the new signs. The use of families and children in everyday situations helps toddlers recognize objects and make sense of the new signs being introduced. Overall, the format is the same as in Volumes 1 & 2.

Liam was fixated on the television when we first watched them. He picked up new signs immediately. By the end he was signing “pear” and “music”. He dances to the songs and enjoyed seeing the same animated characters as in the first two volumes. I like that these DVDs build on the signs previously learned. Rachel uses some of the signs from the first two DVDs, while teaching lots of new ones. I also felt that the signs in the new DVDs are very appropriate. Months ago, I had purchased a couple of the Signing Time DVDs that are intended for older children. I wanted to teach Liam some of the signs I felt he needed to learn. All of the signs I wanted him to learn are in the new Baby Signing Time DVDs. Too bad they weren’t out then! The Signing Time series has helped Liam learn lots of sings. He is now 16 months old and has over 50 signs. We LOVE Signing Time!

Here's a little bit from Volume 4!

I can't sleep

I can't sleep because I had an ice coffee at 5 pm and now I'm wired. So, I decided to post some random stuff before I fold laundry.

I haven't eaten pork or red meat in over a year, but I haven't really tried to give up poultry or fish. I hardly ever eat seafood, but I really enjoy it when I do! I've been increasingly grossed out, but chicken and turkey. I can't stand near the deli counter without the smell turning my stomach. I'm thinking about taking a "30 day veg pledge". I'll have to wait until the weekend is over since I just went grocery shopping. I'm going to go to the library tomorrow and take out a couple of cook books to get some ideas. Wish me luck!

Here is a picture of my very camera shy child. He is such a ham! He makes this cheesy face whenever there is anything resembling a camera near by.

And now for a couple of recent projects. I'm knitting Liam a pair of wool longies for the fall. I am further than this now, but this is the only picture I have loaded at the moment. I'm on the second green stripe on the last leg. I think they may be too short. I guess he'll just have to wear tall socks! I just ordered 6 skeins of hand dyed yarn from Uraguay, but it is going to take weeks to get here.
I made this fleece blanket for a friend's son. His 1st birthday is this weekend. It has a cute helicopter print on one side and a coordinating orange fleece on the other side. I hope it keeps him warm!
Ok, that's it for now. My dryer is beeping at me.

Watch This!

Liam is officially a little dare devil! He scares me, but luckily Bryan was there to spot him this time.

Bry and Jules bonding

Jules doesn't get much attention anymore, so Bry decided to let her in the playroom for a little while. This is what ended up happening. She needs more attention than we are physically capable of giving her. Bry was making a valiant effort today.



Does this look like a dog that ate poop out of one of Liam's diapers today? Thank goodness she didn't eat the actual diaper. It was one that Liam has only worn a handful of times.

Labor Day

If getting messy is any indication of a good time, I think Liam had a fun Labor Day. We went to a cookout at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Complete with BBQ Chicken, swinging and playing on the lawn mower (it wasn't running). Liam learned that running down hill came be a blast. Although most of his runs down the hill ended with me catching him right before a major face plant. I don't think I've ever seem him that hot and sweaty.

Teeth, teeth and more teeth!

Poor Liam is getting four new teeth. He is so miserable. Tonight when he went to bed he stuffed his lovey's ear in his mouth and was chewing it like he hadn't eaten all day. He doesn't know what he wants. He wants to be held, then he wants to get down, but when I put him down he cries to be held. We gave him some motrin, a sippy with water and put him to bed. He fell asleep right away.

Tomorrow Liam and I are only eating healthy foods. This weekend he has had more junk than he had previously had in his entire life. He LOVES pizza, tried french fries, had a couple bites of cookies, tried Junior mints (his first candy) and also ate part of a donut. I am so against junk food for kids, but I have no idea what happened in the past few days.

I also just learned (compliments of Bryan) that there are two ways to spell donut. Apparently doughnut is also commonly accepted. I had no idea!

I lied...... it isn't easy being green!

Remember those Kermit pants from a post ago. I took them off of Liam to eat lunch. Jules found them and chewed two holes in them. I don't think I have enough fabric to make another pair. I'm off to cry now.......

RIP Kermit pants.

Who said it isn't easy being green?

I made this outfit while Liam was napping today. After last nights dying fiasco I needed to have some success. The pants are Kermit the Frog fleece. I ironed a transfer onto a plain t-shirt. I'm really happy with how they came out. As a former Muppets lover, there can't be a better outfit for my baby.

Daily Update

I recently bought wool interlock to make longies for Liam. Wool is a great diaper cover, if I haven't mentioned that in previous posts. I had to felt it (make it thicker) yesterday and today I decided to dye it on the stove using Wilton's icing dye. I was going for blue. Check out the pictures to see what happened.

Wool is soaking up beautiful blue color.....


Added vinegar to set dye and it turned purple.....
Purple wool drying.....
What do you think? Is purple for boys too?

On a side note.... Liam had a major temper tantrum and scratched the hell out of my face. I was going to post a pic, but I didn't look very cute. Use your imagination!

Filling a request

I had a request from one of my faithful blog readers (perhaps the only one) to update, talk less about dogs and more about Liam. I may not write less about the dogs, but I can certainly update and post a few new pics.

Liam is obsessed with airplanes right now. I swear he can hear them from 50 miles away. He will sign plane and look surprised. I have to stop and really listen to hear it. His hearing is way better than mine apparently. He is also talking more. He copies a lot of the words we say, but then never says them again. I think he is storing them away in that little brain for when he is ready to use them. He is up to about 40 signs, so I guess he doesn't need to talk at the moment.

Here are a couple new pics of my little man. He looks like a big boy in them, so consider yourself warned.

Oh Jules!

Poor Jules doesn't get the love she needs any more. She has decided that when we aren't around she will hang out in Liam's playroom. So when I couldn't find her today, I checked down there. The gate was open (yes, she opens the gate) but Jules was no where to be found. I called her and out she comes from behind one of the the recliners. She was sleeping on Liam's giant stuffed horse behind the chair. She must have been sleeping soundly because although I'm fully aware of the fact that she sleeps in the playroom, I've never actually caught her doing it. I guess the couch, two love seats, two recliners and dog bed that she has to choose from are not comfortable enough.

Weeeeeeee

I was told that I need to update my blog, so here you go.

Liam has found the swing love. He loves to swing at Grandma and Grandpa's house. As soon as we pull up to the house he starts saying, "wee wee". We decided that it was time for us to get a swing set. Bryan and I went to Walmart and bought a wooden swing set for $139 on clearance. Score! Now we just have to get the darn thing set up. Any volunteers?

Liam is getting four more teeth. I can't wait until he is done teething. He has been really cranky for the past two months, since he has been getting teeth nonstop. He should have a mouth full after these come in.

Here are a few pictures of my teething, biting, swinging monster.

Longies for Liam

I just whipped up a pair of fleece pants for Liam. Fleece is a great diaper cover, so that is what we will be using them for. I was able to make the pattern and sew them and post pics during Liam's nap. Needless to say..... he will be wearing fleece a lot this winter. Maybe I can get an action shot when he gets up from his nap.

My child the biter

Well, Liam is no longer just a cute baby. He is an independent toddler who bites when he doesn't get his way. It really is a good thing he is so cute. Grandma bought him his own chair and he kept standing on it. I told him to sit on his bum and he just laughed at me and jumped up and down on the chair. I took him off of it and he bit me. When I told him, "no biting", he repeatedly showed me his teeth and tried to bite. He laughed and did it again whenever I told him "no". Thinking about it now.... he got worse when I payed attention, he thought it was a game. I think tomorrow, I will try ignoring the unwanted behavior and see if he just stops on his own. By the way, I thought it was really funny and I had a hard time trying to discipline him because I wanted to laugh so bad!

Ok, time for bed. Got home from work about an hour ago and I need to get to bed before Liam gets up in 5 hours!

Exciting Day

I am a procrastinator. There.... I said it. I of course waited until the last day of the month to get my inspection sticker. Apparently, so did everyone else. Actually, I went yesterday but the inspection machine was being serviced and it was going to take 2 hours. When I went back this morning there was a four car wait. I went to the next station. They had a three car wait. I went to the final station..... no wait!!!!! We were in and out of there in 10 minutes. Good thing, since it was starting to cut into Liam's nap time. So, I'll say the same thing I say every year...... next year I'm not going to wait until the last day.

Liam was getting bored in the house today, so we took a ride to a local dairy farm. It is in Barre. It was really cute. We got some vegetables, home made ice cream and fresh milk (in glass bottles). Liam kept saying, "moo" because he could see the cows in the pasture.

Once our bathing suits dry we will head up to the town pool for a dip. It is a bazillion degrees today and really humid. Hopefully we get up there before the thunder storms roll through.

Memory Lane

Liam at 3 months old. Picture taken by Auntie Kellie.


Liam's first week!
First day home from the hospital.


I just felt like taking a walk down memory lane. Look at how much my little man has grown. I can hardly remember when he was this little.