10 months muffin

10 months old. insane. crazy. stupendous. 10 months old!!!

there are lots of cute photos to post but shaun recently decided to de-frag our beast of a computer soooo... as anyone who has gone through a total wipe-out can attest to, we don't have everything re-installed yet (will we ever?? i'm kidding shaun ;) until then, you'll have to just enjoy my ramblings.

okay to the good stuff: liam is now cruising around the furniture. wait, thats not new. whats new... whats new... he's standing up, holding onto furniture with one hand & yesterday his Moe Moe was walking him around & he tried to walk to me unassisted (didn't work, but he did try). he can drink well from both types of sippies (straw & tilty kind). he's still eating a ton but he's also started drinking more milk too, i think we're still in the throes of his growth spurt. he's getting really clingy. more so than before... today while i was cooking his dinner, breakfast & lunch for tomorrow he pulled my skirt down as he was trying to climb up the back of my legs. oh my. good thing i put on underwear today. oh don't be shocked. i've been staying at home. whats the point really?

wednesday i go back to work. people keep trying to talk to me about it but i'm not biting. i am 50% happy & 50% sad & that is that. i love my work, i love my crew there. they're good to me. they need me now, so i'm going to be there for them. period. its like any other good relationship. give & take. they've given me a lot so its time for me to give back however yes, i am going to miss being home with my son; i've already cried twice today thinking about it.

my sister kim is doing much better. no new blood clots. those prayers you've been sending our way must be working. thank you everyone for your kind words & facebook messages. its touching to know so many of you care about our family.

you can cry if you want to

i was reading momlogic today, in particular this article which got me thinking how true it is that since becoming a mom i'm a walking, talking, cry baby machine. things that i used to scoff & guaff at now make me sniffle & chin tremble...

case in point: at meg's wedding this past weekend i was sitting next to a very nice elderly couple during the gift opening brunch. we were chatting about children & somehow got onto the topic of his (friends? cousins? sister's?) daughter who recently lost her 16 year old girl in a tragic car accident. not exactly the nice light stuff of breakfasts right? anyway, i was lending a sympathetic ear as he expressed his disgust over the $ awarded in the settlement when it hit me like a slap to the side of the head what if suddenly liam died? what if he dies when he's 16 in a freak accident? what if he dies when he's 2? what if?? to my horror, my eyes filled with tears & my chin started to tremble & it could've been my monster hang-over from mixing too much wine with hard alcohol paired with lack of sleep (give me a break, it was our first weekend away from our baby, we let our hair down & i admit, partied a bit too hard)... but still... i almost burst into tears at breakfast. it was very embarrassing!! seeing my face crumbling, the gentleman patted my hand (i think) & said something like "oh my you're a sensitive little thing aren't you?" but i could only hard swallow the dry rock in the back of my throat and nod, thinking "yes, yes i am"

so, this brings me back to my original point, why is it that since becoming a mom i cry over everything? commercials, tv shows, friend's of friends who have miscarriages... just anything that has to do with a baby or a child being hurt or mistreated or dying sends me over the edge. its nice to know, reading this article in that link, that i'm not alone. that its normal. that being a cry baby is a-okay .. but only if you're a mom

"Aiiight!"

we have a first word!!!! yesterday he pointed at the light above the dining room table & said (very clearly) "Aiiight!" then smiled. i just know he meant "Light" - my child is a genius. its very heartwarming :)


further evidence that liam harbors the "piglet" gene - this was before he scarfed down 1 piece of toast as "desert" (and after he's already eated 1/2 of the BBQ pork on his tray)


its really adorable how he is obsessed with picking up every tiny little morsel of food. the asparagus was a huge hit & i never would've thought to give it to him if it weren't for Nanners who introduced it while we were visiting


notice the raised eyebrow? i can't help wondering what is going on in his head...


mmmmmm... liam stuffing his face


its only recently that liam has started noticing he has a great big fluffy doggie/blanket


given to him by uncle glenn & aunt cindy, he treats this doggie like its a long lost friend, hauling it around the room with him as he goes along


here liam is petting the doggie. he cuddles it, pulls it over his face, licks the nose, shrieks with laughter when the weighted feet "dance" as he swings it around.. he loves this dog


he's also started to notice the baby gates... here he is trying to figure out how to open it


and in true "little boy" fashion, sticking out his tongue when he doesn't get his own way

last week of being 9 months

how is that even possible? liam is almost 10 months old. how is that possible??!!

i just weighed him & he weighs... are you ready for it? 27 pounds. TWENTY-SEVEN POUNDS. he is the size of an 18 month old (& wears 18 month old clothing & has for quite some time). no wonder my arms kill me ever time i carry him around. sheesh.

lately liam has been eating like a horse. he is still having three 8oz bottles a day. when he wakes up, around 1pm & before going to bed. he has three solid meals too. by solid i mean that he eats as much as me. no joke. thats why i'm posting these pictures... so you can see for yourself.


here liam is enjoying organic wheat free/glutton free chicken nuggets. you didn't read that wrong. CHICKEN NUGGETS. this was before i added an entire diced plum.


proof that boys will eat their veggies. he really loves broccoli. i don't understand it..


i can't believe i forgot to get an "after" picture b/c the tray was clean. he even leaned over & licked the specs of broccoli off the tray. like a doggie.

when he is not eating he is cruising. he learned to pull himself up while we were visiting Gwen at Kim's one day. since then he's unstoppable. he crawls to an object & pulls himself up. then he hangs on with one hand & wobbly stands there trying to find something else to grab onto. using this method he's now able to move from couch to coffee table to ottoman to loveseat to the TV (which Shaun just loves. note the sarcasm), to the chair to the other ottoman & yesterday he even pulled himself up on the dining room table using one of the legs as a hand-hold.

he also climbs stairs. yep. stairs. we've had to break out the baby gate we used to keep the dog from going upstairs just for liam. so he won't climb the stairs, fall down & break his neck

he's been trying to talk - SO HARD. in the mornings when i get him up we change him & then stand him up on his change table. above the table is a light from IKEA (the big paper ball kind). i say to him "where is the light? show me the light" and he grins & points to the light. now i just have to say "light" & he points up. its adorable.

the not so fun thing is this: he's started biting & hitting. i have no clue where he learned this because we don't bite or hit each other in front of him. i'm kidding!!! we have never bit or hit each other or him. but seriously, i don't get it. the biting isn't so bad b/c it seems to occur when he's close to a bottle & its 50% trying to suck on our legs or arms or shoulders & 25% blowing raspberries (gross) & only 25% real biting. the hitting is more like smacking, i think he's trying to "pat" like we teach him to pat the dog... not sure about this one... hopefully its just a phase, because its wierd.

meeting Gwen & Meghan's wedding

what a whirlwind!! a new baby & a wedding & a sister moving away... oh my. lots of good stuff going on ...

instead of throwing up lots of photos onto this page, please follow the links to see the happenings of our lives (gotta love facebook for this feature!)

my sister's new baby Gwen

my BFF Meghans wedding to her beau Astar

in other news: please pray for my sister Kim who is suffering.. not only from new mommy syndrome, but from blood clots. Kim has been in & out of hospital since having Gwen. her doctors are keeping a close eye on the clots, giving ultrasounds & medication as needed. thankfully Kim has been allowed to go home to be with Gwen.

i am going back to work next week!!! crazy!!

kim is a mommy!!

Gwendolyn Eleanor Schellingerhoudt! made her entrance into the world yesterday at 1:38pm. she is a tiny little thing weighing in at 5 pounds, 18 ounces & is 19.5 inches long.

isn't she stunningly beautiful??!!! i'm so very very happy for my sister kim & brother in law brad. we're leaving sunday to meet the new addition :)

bex

today is the last day i will see my sister becky until december
(this picture is probably the last time i was taller than her)


my heart is breaking
my best friend
my sister
one half of me
on the other side of canada

be happy for her jenny!!
be happy for your sister finding love!!

i am
so happy
so grateful
all the years together in ottawa
thank you for them

come home soon becky
hurry back with justin
you will be missed

crawling machine

liam going for my bag

some mr. liam action for you

mr. liam trying very hard to pull up on the coffee table


sideways view of pulling up


oooo he did it!!


this is the cute face i get to see every morning and after every nap


he is obsessed with the vent!

DJ K

my friend DJ K just got back from his summer tour of Europe, this is his video diary

watching it makes me cry for DnB in ottawa. i want to rewind the last 7 years & go back in time to when a scene still existed... i miss shaun playing at clubs, i miss the shows Phuturstep used to throw, i miss dancing until well after the sun came up.... unless you've experienced it you just don't know

congrats to DJ K for living the dream, what an amazing experience that must've been

Run DMC & the Russian Army

in a completely 'unrelated to baby' post, i found this on my friend Sra's blog

buddy with the accordian at 3:12 is crazy!!!



enjoy!

oh baby

sneaking in for a beer..


maybe if i rattle them quietly mom won't notice...


uh-oh! busted!


practicing his DJ skills sans record


but i want to shove the camera in my mouth. i'll cry if you don't let me...


using "Kneebouncers" (link under 'linkables' to the right) he LOVES this website! he could bang & smash the keyboard on the drums or piano all day long...

cute things i don't want to forget

* traces my face with his finger while bottle feeds
* sleeps with his legs tucked under his body, bum straight up in the air
* laughs when we laugh
* real cries when we fake cry (which makes us laugh)
* sometimes gets confused over whether to laugh or cry & does this inbetween cry/laugh that goes something like "haha boohoo haha boo ha boo haaa boo haha boo"
* big splashes in the bath
* talks to the bathroom scale while he pats it, face lights up with he sees "error"
* constantly pushes the "red circle" and "blue triange" and "high" and "low" buttons on the table toy aunty sarah gave him; then he laughs
* loves balloons, loves them
* loves the dog, loves him
* wherever we go he follows; takes him a while, but he always get there. then he pats my foot or pulls on my pants & grins like "look! here i am! i did it!" (we give him lots of claps & cheers to say "good job")
* freaks out whenever he's on the change table, hates being changed but loves being clothed or naked - nothing in between
* doesn't really like how grass feels
* couldn't care less about sand
* does NOT like going down slides
* loves the swings, loves them
* cries whenever avery makes a noise (this is embarassing for mommy, why does avery scare him so much? its wierd)
* plays "peek-a-boo" with his crib bumper in the morning & after naps
* loves "this little piggy"
* loves walking in his stroller, looking at the world, talking to the trees & bushes & flowers
* gives hugs - real hugs where he wraps his arm around my neck & holds onto my back
* hides his face in my neck & shoulder when he is shy (which is often)
* snuggles into my arms after his bedtime bottle & lets me hold him for as long as i want while he strokes my face or touches my hair - this is my favorite time of the day

piles of (warning gross content!)

puke! i went in to get liam this morning to find him covered in vomit with a big puddle of it off to the side of his crib. what i want to know is: what kid throws up & doesn't cry (at all)?? we had no clue he'd been sick. we have no clue how long it had been there, or if he'd slept in his soiled clothes on the soiled mattress all night. i feel SO BAD for him. in his hair, on his face, in his hands, on all the stuffed animals he loves to play with, it was even on the crib bumper (how did it defy gravity??) suffice it to say this morning wasn't good for mommy who had to scramble to get everything washed & dried before his morning nap. 'why before his nap?' you ask? b/c i'd been putting off washing the rest of his sheets & we were on the last sheet. of course. dumb mommy! dumb! i learned my lesson.

he seems okay though. which i'm grateful for. he's happy & chipper & blowing raspberries at me & diesel. he ate all of his breakfast, chugged an 8oz bottle & snuggled into his crib for his nap with nary a peep. he's snoozing peacefully right now. mommy has to fight the urge to go check on him to make sure he hasn't given a repeat performance...

ahhh this is the life. shaun are you really sure this is what you want for your summer?? LOL

photoshop disasters

you MUST click here to see some rediculous photoshopping mistakes. too funny - like this one - too funny

take things out, shake them around, laugh

before we get to the liam stuff, i have some very important announcements!!

1. kims baby is due in a matter of days. yes, DAYS

2. becky is moving to BC in 10 days. yes, DAYS

3. meghan is getting married in 15 days. yes, DAYS

4. i have a new favorite blog. it is Stuff Christian's Like. why? posts like this Indiana Jones vs the Bible - the game is about half way down the post. its worth a scroll & a read

okay onto the good stuff. mr. liam...


lately liam loves playing with the collander


i fill it with different goodies ... he takes them out one by one & shakes them around


examines them...


shakes them around...


puts them in his mouth....


laughs because this is obviously hilarious stuff...


gets bored & is easily distracted (just like mom!)

in "whats new with liam" news, you all know that he's able to sit up by himself & now to pull himself into a standing position. what i haven't shared is the havok this is wrecking on his nap & bed times. yesterday i got him up from his nap and he was .. wait for it... sitting up by himself in his crib. it was freaky!! i'm so glad we lowered the crib mattress when we did. last night bed time was a struggle because liam was tired but kept sitting himself up. we would take turns going up & laying him back down & rubbing his back. he would get frustrated, because he's tired & wants to practice his new "skill" & then would sit himself up again - unable to figure out how to lay back down, so he would cry, we would go up, lay him down; rinse, repeat. finally about 45 minutes after his bedtime he settled & slept through the night.

mornings, in comparison, have been a joy lately. i can't remember the last time i woke up to hear him crying. he seems to wake somewhere between 6-6:15 on his own. he then babbles & chats away to his bears & blankie for sometimes 45 minutes! which means i get to sleep in until about 7am. i'm enjoying this so much because i know that its my last month home. ahhh time flies so fast.

back to liam: he is getting really very interactive. he can say "dadada" and "mamama" and "ddddd" (i'm sure this means diesel). he constantly chases diesel around any room we're in & i feel so bad for my puppy, who only wants to be as close to me as possible. so diesel follows me around, liam follows diesel around, i'm following liam around - you can see this means we walk a lot of circles. liam has recently discovered diesel's food dish & makes a beeline for it whenever diesel decides to eat - frustrating for both the dog & the mommy - mainly b/c diesel doesn't understand that liam is just curious & he gets very "uppity" wanting to protect his food. i'm still using the baby whisperer so had to look up "how to say NO" the other day & learned some tricks to teach liam about respecting other people (or animals) property... we'll see how that works in time. liam is now walking - yes, he's walking!! granted he's holding onto our hands while he does it, but he's got the one foot, the other foot, one foot, the other foot motion down perfectly. it's only a matter of days or weeks before he's cruising around on his own.

liam is eating almost everything we eat. the other day i made a cinnamon garlic roasted pork loin (i know!! me, cooking! wtf??) with parmesean cream potatoes & liam LOVED it all. i tried a recipe i found online for mashed white potatoes with zucchini & herbed goat cheese & he also devoured this. we're still avoiding wheat products but were able to find a yummy rice pasta in the natural section of loblaws so i made him macaroni with unsalted butter, garlic & shredded havarti melted as a sauce - once again, he gobbled it up. as you can see, we're experimenting a lot with different cheeses, all of which give him the calcium he needs. we haven't had any bad reactions. he's also eating peaches, pears, grapes, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries... he loves his fruit. his #1 favorite thing to eat is chicken. he loves chicken so much. diesel appreciates it too because he knows if he just hangs out by the highchair he'll get lots of yummy snacks too.

shaun has decided to take july & august parental leave (pending approval, cross your fingers!) so that he can enjoy having a summer with his son. in addition to giving us a much needed financial break (from paying $800 a month in daycare), it also provides an opportunity for some much needed daddy-son bonding time. i think its wonderful & am so happy that shaun works for the government so he is also able to enjoy this special time in liam's life.

i am very much looking forward to going back to work at the beginning of July & seeing how this changes our family dynamic. luckily our amazing caregiver Hanan is cool with us sending liam in July or September or "whatever" (her words). i feel soooo lucky we found her. she's literally 3 minutes away from my work so if i want, i can stop in to see liam at lunch & she's just so cool & chill & - dare i say it? - normal!!

we are one very blessed family

our big boy

liam is now 22.5 pounds of crawling, standing, getting into lots of trouble "fun"

all in one day

from this morning to this afternoon mr. liam has learned how to pull himself up onto things & how to get into a sitting position from crawling or being on his back. already i caught him trying to climb the stairs. my mister man is getting so big, will someone please invent a "stop growing" machine so that we can keep him this age forever??*

one month left before i go back to work. mixed feelings. will blog more about this later.

*i'm kidding. i don't want to stop him from growing up. i'm not that creepy...