Ah, sweet fifty four weeks. All week long John and I kept remarking on our comparison from last year. We wouldn't have believed a year ago that we would have not a baby, but a person with interests and a personality on our hands. Liam is big now.
It's so funny. I mean, you read the parenting and development books and you know what lies ahead - walking, talking, expressions - but it is a shock, let me tell you. Liam picks up new things everyday and through these interactions we can see what kind of person he will be.
Last night, for instance, we hosted the family potluck that we belong to. We had 40 parents and babies in our house! Liam played a good host and got all of the bibs down and handed them out to the babies, like he was offering beverages or something.
And Liam really loves reading. We read all day long. This past Wednesday I counted how many times we read Moo Baa Lalala - it was 32 times before 9:30am. Really. He flips the pages and we read it over and over again. He says Baa and then mimics the rhythm of how John and I say Moo Baa Lalala with a garble of words, but you can see that he is mulling it over in his brain. And one night while I was getting his dinner ready, he tugged at my pant leg to get me to hold him. I asked him where Moo Baa ... is, thinking he would get distracted for a minute and come back. But no. Liam walked over to the book basket, pulled out every single book and found it on the very bottom. (This took a few minutes of digging!) Then he walked it over to me and after all that work, I had to drop it all to read it one more time.
He surprised me Tuesday night when we were running some errands. It was around 6:30 and dark outside. Liam kept saying "BA!" over and over again. At a red light, I turned around and saw that he was pointing out the window at the moon. The full moon that looks just like a ball.
It's the little things, but they mean so much to me.
This past Friday, we went to a music together class. It was at the Children's Museum (which is SO fun, by the way!) and we had a blast. Liam wanted nothing to do with me here and stood at the front of the class with the big kids by himself. And he followed directions too! :) When the teacher asked everyone to take out maracas or egg shakers, shake them, and them put them back after the song was done, he did every time.
We have a video camera this time. So, naturally, I had to take video. I love how he looks at the other kids to see what to do.
I love it when he wants to be with me. It is so nice to feel needed like that, but I am so much happier when I see that he doesn't need me. I am so proud to see that he is building trust and confidence in himself so that he can accomplish these tasks on his own. It must be so empowering as a little man to do it himself.
Another video, because I got a little camera happy this week. (Shocking, right?)
This is Liam's Dance. How he learned how to do this, I really don't know. But I LOVE IT!
The weather was spectacularly warm, so we really tried to drop all of the boring housework that we have on the weekends and went outside to soak it all in.
We got squash, pumpkins for baking, and lots of apples at the last Farmer's Market of the year.
Then after a much needed nap, we went to the Dream Park in Monona. This park is one of the biggest and best I have ever seen. And let me tell you, as a former nanny, I have been to a lot of parks. It was great to explore all of the bridges, slides and swings. Liam was fearless, of course -
On Sunday, it was a beautiful, hot day. So before we hosted the potluck, we made it to Orton Park.
Again, a video. Here you can see Liam's walk. He looks like a person, not our little baby.
Liam is so big. Not even thirteen months yet, but big to me. Honestly, I feel like I am falling in love with my little man all over again. The way that he curls up in my arms, gives me hugs, and expresses interests melts my heart. I love it the process that he has of selecting the perfect book or toy and how he plays with it over and over again until he is satisfied with it and sets it down. I love how he understands what we are saying more, so when he is drinking his cup and we tell him to set it down on the table when he is finished, he listens and does it. I love how excited he is when he does something himself - when he climbs up on the chair, waves to some people going past on the bike path, then gets down from the chair safety. I love these things and so much more. I love a little more everyday.
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