Eating Like a Big Boy

When do babies start using spoons and forks?  Just curious, because I think we have some work ahead of us.

Liam started out doing fine.  He was even able to scoop some yogurt out of his bowl.

And it even made it into his mouth!

Then he got a little distracted by the camera.

It was all downhill from there.

Oh wait, he's got it?...

Nope, nevermind.  That is not how you use a spoon.

Good thing bathtime is directly after dinner.

*Sigh*

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Happy Earth Day, Internetz! How did you celebrate this made-up holiday?? Did you plant a tree? Start a compost bin? Walk instead of drive to the library?

Liam and Mommy went to The Green Nursery (love that store!) and participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change.    At the same time today, people all over the world changed their babies' cloth diapers, in order to raise awareness of the benefits of using cloth diapers.

Also, the GCDC is an official Guinness Book of World Records event, and we got to be part of it!  Unfortunately, we won't know just how many babies worldwide were changed until June or so.

Hi Dad! 

Waiting...

Five minutes, people!

Ready... Set...

Change!

There were 38 moms and 38 babies (plus all the dads that were dragged along) squashed into the 4 tiny rooms at The Green Nursery.  It was cozy... and so much fun.

Liam Goes to Florida

Liam and Mommy went to Florida last week.  Grandpa J's brother and sisters rented a house for a week and we had a little family reunion together there.  A week in Florida after a long, cold winter?  Yes, please!

This was our little house.  Aunt Judy and Bonnie's friend Deb bought it cheap and fixed it up. 

Stepping out the front door is a concrete patio, and off the patio is a little canal that rose and fell with the tides.  "Blue" the Great Blue Heron visited several times.  He ate the little fishes that swam in the shallows.

Grandma J, Liam, and Mommy visited Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park one day.  There were lots of native animals, including flamingos...

... brown pelicans (maybe?)...

...and manatees!

Liam even wore his hat and generally tolerated it.

One day, we all spent the afternoon together on a pontoon boat.  Grandpa J and Liam hung out while we waited for everyone to meet up.

Grandma J and Liam went on lots of walks together when Mommy needed a break from the baby.  Thank you Grandma J!

The Aunts, taking a smoke break on the patio.

And oh, man, this kid loved playing with cousins Amanda and Alexa.

Liam and Amanda

Amanda, Liam, and Alexa

Trying to get a hug from a baby that doesn't stop moving.

And Grandpa J finally caught a fish!  It was a beautiful spotted sea bass.

And it was delicious.

Future fisherman-in-training, Grandpa J?

Haircut?

Does it count as a first haircut if we just trim Liam's bangs?  They are so long they tickle his eyeballs.

Colds - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Mommy and Daddy have colds this week. Our heads are going to explode. Hopefully Liam doesn't get sick too, since he and Mommy are going to Florida on Friday.

It is possible that he will though, since today he was feeling very kissy. We got more baby kisses today than ever before. His kisses are funny: he leans in real slow with his mouth open like a fish... come to think of it, maybe he learned how to kiss from Daddy?

The plus-side of having a cold? Not smelling poopy diapers.

The down-side? Uh, "surprises" at diaper changes.

Pat-a-Cake, Daddy-O

We have a bedtime routine: Every night after dinner Liam gets a bath, reads stories with Mommy and Daddy in the Big Bed, nurses, and goes to his cage crib.

Tonight one of our books was the book of nursery rhymes, and Daddy chose "Pat-a-Cake." Now, we've often played "Pat-a-Cake" with Liam. He has clapped along with us, but he gets stuck at the, "roll it, pat it, mark it with a B..."

But tonight Liam ROLLED it! And he PATTED it! And he... didn't mark it with a B... but he was so excited to roll it and pat it!

Since he was having so much fun, we played a few more times. By the end of it, his "roll it" had devolved into waving his hands around in the air like he was directing traffic, and "throw it in the oven" turned into "touchdown."

Oh yeah, and the baby signs "hug" now, all the time. He hugs his toys and his books and the dogs and Mommy and Daddy. And he signs "duck" - kind of. Actually his "duck" looks more like "milk." But you can tell it is "duck" because we're usually looking at a picture of a duck.

Aaaand, here are some pictures:

Liam's birthday cake

Liam's cake, lovingly decorated by Grandma J.

Daddy!!

This baby is one year old.

+ 4 Teeth

It has been a rough week here on the ranch. Liam has been working on cutting 4 teeth. FOUR teeth, all at once.

Monday he had a fever of up to 103.4. He didn't have a cough or the sniffles or a tummy ache or anything like that, but he napped every two hours, and between naps he would lie on Mommy's lap and look pathetic. And he didn't want to eat - just nurse.

On Tuesday he was still a little warm but had his normal energy back. Still didn't want to eat, though.

It is Saturday, and somehow the kid has survived the whole week on the following:

1-1/2 cups oatmeal
6 soda crackers
4 grapes
2 dinners of Southwest salad (beans, corn, tomato, avocado, cheese)
1/2 a banana
lots of Mama milk

So all 4 teeth are now peeking through the skin. The fever is long gone and he has his normal energy level back. Hopefully he starts eating again soon, otherwise he is going to waste away to nothing.

PS, it is true about poops being more loose during teething. Oh, for the love of all that his holy, please let teething be over soon! We've already had to burn the changing pad, crib bedding, several pairs of baby pants, and most of the cloth diapers. Pretty soon the kid will have to go naked out in the yard with the dogs. At least it is warming up outside, right? Right??