The Boyle Family

Beach Bum

2010-03-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

February 2010

While the beach didn't hold Liam's attention as long as the pool we always started out there each morning. Liam liked to play with his sand toys and dig holes. (Isn't it interesting that Mike is reading a book in this picture, I only was able to read when Liam was sleeping!)

He was perplexed by the waves. He liked them but did not like the way the waves stole the sand from under his feet and made him fall down. Hence the tight hand hold at all times.

He loved to gnaw on his sandy apple for a snack...mmm.

One day Mike went scuba diving in the am and we were on our own. I love this picture he is such a big boy.

Liam's favorite thing about the beach was the seaweed eating machine! We were always out pretty early so we always got to see it go by. he loved that thing!

My Mexican Water Bug

2010-03-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

February 1, 2010

The Boyle family headed to Riviera Maya for a little R and R (also to escape all the snow). We stayed at the Dreams Riviera Spa and Resort and had a great time. The weather was hit or miss with some cool mornings and usually rain in the afternoon but we made the best of it.

Liam LOVED swimming. He has never been scared of the water so we were not surprised when he wanted to spend hours in the pool. Every morning we would be down there around 8:30 (yes my late sleeper was up at 6:30 every morning) and stayed until lunch/nap time.

We had our own fan club at the pool, everyone knew Liam's name. People were amazed at how well he swam and they learned not to panic when he went underwater and I didn't rescue him right away. I am a firm believer that kids learn their fears, so if you show no worry than hopefully they won't worry.

Mike and Liam loved to rough house while in the pool. How high up could he go? We will have a lot of great memories from this vacation.

Is that a Blue Dog?

2010-02-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2010

I found Liam drinking from the dog's water bowl today and couldn't help but laugh. Then I made him do it again once I got the camera.

Now I can't get him to stop!

Supporting the Colts

2010-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2010

My two favorite boys in their Colts gear! Too bad they didn't win the Superbowl this year.

This little mischievous boy had his heart set on it. Touchdown!

Our Chirstmas in Michigan

2010-02-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

December 29, 2009

So once we got back from Chicago we eventually had our Christmas. It was quite and involved only a few gifts but we enjoyed it.

Liam got his Daddy a hat for that bald head (although we didn't know it was going to be bald!). Liam got a few great toys.

Liam and Daddy surprised Mommy with the best gift ever, an ornament with Baby Boyle #2's ultrasound picture on there! I was so excited.

Snowy Chicago

2010-02-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2009

Chicago got quite a bit of snow while we were there so we broke out the sled and Liam was all smiles.

My mom even got into the action, she would do anything to make Liam happy!

Children's Museum at Navy Pier

2010-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2009

The day after Christmas Mike and I took Liam to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. I think Liam's favorite thing was the water room. He had a lot of fun, got pretty wet, and screamed when we left that section.

His not so favorite thing was taking this picture. Since Mike shaved his head the day before Christmas he just had to have a picture in this chair. I think Liam might of been a little scared.

Liam probably went down this slide twenty times! It made music as your bottom went over the little ridges on the slide.

It was a fun day and the highlight for me was the Garrett's popcorn we got, Chicago mix is my favorite!

A Glimpse of Christmas Day

2010-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

December 25, 2009

This year we spent Christmas in Chicago. We always spend Christmas morning at my parents house which has fond memories for me. We woke up to piles of Christmas gifts, most of which were Liam's, and had a blast opening them.

Liam really had the hang of tearing open gifts and being excited no matter what was inside (this was a box of towels!).

After Liam's nap we headed to my Uncle Ross's house for the Hagen festivities. My Uncle puts up a HUGE tree with thousands of ornaments on it. It is a sight to see and Liam really loved it.

Dinner is always an event and everything was great. We opened some gifts from the cousins and just had a generally great time.

We closed out the evening with some Christmas music. Liam was mesmerized by the violin. He stood like this for quite some time! Merry Christmas!

A Whole Different Experience

2010-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2009

We went to the mall today to check out the great train set there, which Liam loved, but we also had to visit Santa one more time. We really pushed our luck this time. I knew Liam was going to freak out if I sat him on Santa's lap alone so I was mean and did just that! What a great photo opportunity. Check out Santa's panic stricken face. He was screaming at me to just take him back but Mike and I were too busy laughing. Mean, mean parents.

We did do one nice picture, look how happy Santa is in this one!

Visiting Santa

2010-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

December 12, 2009

I wasn't sure what to expect with our yearly visit to Santa, would Liam cry? We went to get our Christmas tree and met Santa and his reindeer. The reindeer were well fed and not interested in the treats Liam had to offer but we still managed to get one cute picture.

Santa was a jolly old soul that Liam did not seem to mind as long as he was on my lap and not his. Who could blame him?

A Good Book for All 3!

2010-02-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

December 8, 2009

Sometimes it seems that I have two babies instead of just Liam. Fletcher, our 75lb greyhound, can be a bit demanding about being included in all that we do! We read "We Are Going on a Bear Hunt" about 5 times a day and this time Fletcher had to see the pictures and hear the story.

And of course every book needs to end with a sloppy kiss. What a group!

Rain Boots???

2010-02-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

December 4, 2009

Grandma Jean sent these great rain boots to us in the mail. As you can see Liam loves them, who cares if it snowing and not raining! Details, details.

Sledding

2010-02-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2009

We had a some snow today and took Liam out to try his sled. He loved it! We just ran him up and down the block and he was all smiles the entire time. What a blast.

Bad Idea Daddy

2010-02-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2009

So I send Mike and Liam to the basement to play so that I can clean up dinner. I hear lots of laughter from Liam and he is not calling my name (which is very odd). Once I get dinner all cleaned up I head down there to see what is keeping my 2 boys so busy. This is what I found....

Now you think my "older boy" aka Daddy would know that this is a bad idea...but no "it just seemed like a good idea at the time" I am told!

Well at least I got what I needed to do done and everyone was happy!

Thanksgiving in Chicago

2010-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

November 27, 2009

We headed to Chicago for Thanksgiving this year, a great advantage of living so much closer. While we were there we did some tourist things to show Liam the town. This day we went to the Shedd Aquarium and took this great picture of the skyline.

Grammy Jill Makes a Quick Trip

2010-02-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2009

Grammy Jill and Great Grandma Bunny came up for the day on a chilly day in November. We headed down to Reeds' Lake and had fun feeding the ducks and playing a little soccer.

Where Have I Been???

2010-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

February 15, 2010

Wow!!! I know I have been behind on my blogging but I didn't realize it was this bad! So the good news first...we are PREGNANT!!! Yeah!!! I found out in November that we are expecting Baby Boyle #2 in late July and we can't wait to meet him/her. Now the reason/excuse for lack of blogging...I have been so sick. I spent the first 16 weeks of pregnancy wrapped around the toilet and wondering if I would survive, so needless to say the blog got pushed to the back burner. I am going to start updating things today but it will be a slow and tedious process, please be patient with me :)

Happy Halloween

2009-12-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween to my favorite monkey!

Liam was the cutest little monkey. We had quite a few parties to go to this year but ended up at Carter's house across the street for the actual trick or treating. Surprisingly Liam really "got" the idea of going to stranger's houses and getting candy!

We went house to house and did both sides of our whole block! He walked the whole way. Unfortunately the weather was pretty bad with freezing rain at one point but we persevered and made it through!

What a blast! In case you couldn't figure it out Mike was "Liam's plastic crap". I wasn't too happy with it but it was a big hit! Also the guy in the neon green jumpsuit is a total crack up, he is our neighbor across the street (Carter's Dad). I can't believe he wore that out in public either...what a good sport.

Day 5 California

2009-12-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

October 21, 2009

Today I departed, leaving Mike behind in San Francisco for his meeting. I was glad to be heading home to my little man. I missed him so much but also truly treasured this time away with Mike.

It was great to be on our schedule, which meant no schedule, and also to be husband and wife first. I can't thank my parents enough for taking care of Liam and those crazy hounds so that we could do this, it was awesome!

Day 4: Biking to Hell and Back!

2009-12-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

October 20, 2009

Today we went on our rescheduled bike tour of the vineyards. This was something that I truly did for Mike and had many doubts in my head whether I was fit enough to do it. It was a planned 25 mile trip, yes 25 miles!

There was another couple on the trip that we did not know, she was a serious triathlon girl and he turned out to be a real wuss. This worked to my advantage because I was definitely not the weakest link.

The day actually turned out to be fabulous! It was a great way to see the vineyards and enjoy the great weather we had. We stopped at 5 different wineries throughout the day, had a great picnic lunch and just had a great time.

Don't get me wrong by about mile 20 my ass had had it! I broke my tail bone last winter and it can still be a little sensitive and it definitely did not appreciate 25 miles on a skinny bike seat but I made it. I also would like to add without a lot of whining either! I was really proud of myself and I think Mike was too.

Day 3: Rain, Rain Go Away

2009-12-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

October 19, 2009

We woke up to a super rainy day today which was very disappointing. We were supposed to do our bike tour today but it was canceled. Instead we went bumming and ended up at one of the Redwood National Forests. We went for a hike in the rain.

The ranger at the post sent us on a "leisurely hike" that ended up to be mostly uphill and slightly like "I think I might die!". We made it through, saw some beautiful scenery, and spent some quality time together even if Mike told me he might kill me if I didn't stop whining soon!

On the way back to the B and B we stopped at Korbel Champagne. We learned quite a bit about champagne and surprisingly bought a few bottles. The rain made for a really pretty picture.

Day 2: California

2009-11-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

October 18, 2009

After a much needed night of rest we were refreshed and ready to head out for some serious tasting! We had the best breakfast at our B and B, grabbed a map and headed out. The morning met us with a slight drizzle and lots of fog but we soon discovered how beautiful it was in the vineyards.

Our first stop of many was beautiful and tasty! We enjoyed the wine, the views, and some time together as husband and wife! (yikes, I sound like we are newlyweds or something!)

The fall colors were unbelievable! Most of the grapes were off the vines already due to a lot of rain the week before we got there but we did find a few that were as tasty as they were beautiful.

We spent our morning exploring the area and hitting vineyards that were recommended to us. We had a great lunch at a funny little shop that seemed like it was from a different century but had the best food.

Our afternoon included a tour of a vineyard that had us hiking up into the fields,

tasting grapes,

and watching a "punch down" of wine to be.

Our day finished with an amazing drive to the Napa area (we stayed in Sonoma) to go to the restaurant Bottega. We went with our friend's the Vicinanzo's from Alabama. Needless to say it was a night filled with laughter and the best food of our lives!

Wine Country Here We Come!

2009-11-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

October 17, 2009

So our long awaited trip was finally here. My parents came to take care of Liam and Mike and I were off to California, me for 5 days, and Mike for 7 days for a conference. We headed off Saturday morning for a 6:45am trip, it was great because we got into San Francisco around lunch time and still had the entire day ahead of us.

We took a leisurely drive up the coast to Bodega Bay where we enjoyed out first flight of California wine.

We stopped at Gourmet Au Bay and had some wine and cheese and enjoyed the view and a seal or two!

We then headed up to the point to see the ocean and spend some time together soaking in the view. That "time" was not as long as we thought...that wind was cold. Brr!!!

A Visit To Klackles

2009-10-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

October 2009

A new tradition is to head to Klackles every year. Klackles is a great place that has an assortment of things to do, such as apple picking, pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, an elephant ride, a camel ride, and a ton of crazy rides for the kiddos.

The day we headed out there was a little colder than expected but we still had a great time. Liam and daddy fed the goats at the petting zoo...(this picture is from the country basket instead of Klackles but I like it so here it is!)

We picked apples, Liam especially liked to pick them AND eat them!

Liam went on a bunch of rides! He is so funny, he will go on whatever you put him on but I don't think he always enjoys it! Ha, ha, I love his face in this picture...."oh boy here we go again!"

I think he liked this ride better, you should of seen them cruising around the track!

We didn't let him go on the camel or elephant ride but we did check it out.

We had such a great day despite the cold! Liam gnawed on that apple until he passed out in the backseat from exhaustion!

Meijer Gardens...again

2009-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2009

We have discovered that here in Michigan when the sun peeks out you better get out and enjoy it because it won't be here for long. So this am when we looked out the window and saw some sunshine we headed to Meijer garden.

Last year we went there and got some great pics of Liam in their giant pumpkin patch, this year not so lucky. Liam is so opinionated now and we could not get him to pose for a picture for nothing!

Although here he seems to be enjoying the small statue of the giant stallion. I would also like to note that the sign encouraged you to touch the small statue but I am not sure if they meant that it was ok to ride it! Classy!

The Country Basket

2009-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2009

Today we went to The Country Basket, which is an apple farm that has fun activities for the kids. Liam did a variety of activities such as going down the slide, feeding the crazy goats, and crawling through the hay tunnel, but his favorite activity was to play in the corn box. It is really quite a simple idea...fill a box with corn feed, place a couple of trucks in there and you have hours of fun.

He was so happy in there digging with his shovel and playing with Daddy. It was a great fall day minus the few raindrops. I love fall!

First two word combo!

2009-10-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2009

So this posting will show how behind I am in my blogging but I wanted to share some great news! Liam said his first 2 word combination today. We were walking out of Target and they have big red cement balls outside the store. He always points to them and says ball so today when he did that I told him "red ball" and don't you know it, clear as day, he repeated me, "red ball". I was so excited, he repeated it a bunch of times. As I put him in the car a young guy was walking past...I said "Yes Liam, red ball. I think I am going to cry!" This nice young man gave me a funny look and picked up his speed. One day when he has kids the lightbulb will go off and he will get that moment today. It gave me a good chuckle.

Our Favorite Park

2009-10-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

September 13, 2009

My mom and dad came for the weekend of my birthday but they didn't truly come to see me! They came to spend some quality time with Liam. So we took my mom to the Beltline Park to show her what Liam's favorite park looks like.

We had a blast going down slides....

Climbing through tunnels...

And swinging on some swings...

The Circus is in Town!

2009-09-30T11:43:00.001-07:00

September 2009

So I saw that the circus was coming to town and I was so excited. I love the circus...the clowns, the acrobats, the animals, and of course the cotton candy!

I wanted to go as a family so I got the best tickets available, the celebrity circus seats. Now when I bought them I did not know exactly what that meant, I did not care I just wanted the best seat available. Boy did we get the best seat...we were front and center and guaranteed to be in on the action. I was not sure how this would work out with Liam, after all he is only 18 months old. Some adults don't like all the noise, lights, and clowns.

Luckily we have the most flexible and amazing kid ever. We got there a little early to allow him to get used to the environment. We went down to the circus floor where he "rode" a horse

and sat on Daddy's shoulders to get a better view of the elephant.

He seemed to like it but sitting in a chair for 2 hours could be a different story.

We took our seats and the show began. He was mesmerized by all the action. The clowns came over and played with him and the ring master tickled his belly. He loved it! He waved to all the animals and clapped like a big boy.

The big moment came when we became part of the show. We were escorted onto a small tram that rode around the floor of the circus while the act was still going! It was amazing. Liam was too cute... he leaned forward and held onto the bar of the tram like it was a roller coaster. What a blast, I only wish that he was old enough to remember how great it was.

Girlfriends Galore

2009-09-30T11:33:00.001-07:00

September 2009

Our play group here has really become a close knit group of friends that depend on each other for all kinds of things. The other day I caught these great pics of the kids playing together. Liam is far outnumbered by girls and I think he likes it that way :)

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

2009-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

September 12, 2009

So today was my birthday...how was it turning 33? It was perfect.

Although I might have turned one year older (and yes my eggs are rotting and I am quite aware of that) my life is just perfect. I have a loving husband who makes me laugh until I cry. I have a beautiful son who is healthy and mostly a happy guy.

I have friends that truly care about me. I have parents that love me endlessly (and bring me my favorite cake and the best candy, flying saucers, on my birthday). I have two dogs that are quietly persistent about daily walks and continual petting.

What more can I ask for? I am thankful for all of the above and more....Happy birthday to me!

The Crain Gang

2009-09-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

End of August 2009

Mike's Auntie Maureen, cousin Jeff and his family came to visit us for the day. The kids had a great time together and really enjoyed Liam. We caught these photos right before they left. Boy we make some really cute kids!

This is some classy kid we have, he loves to pick his nose!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bob

2009-09-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

August 2009

It was my dad's birthday while we were in Chicago. We celebrated with cards, presents, cake, and of course grandkids! My dad was in his glory having all of us home for his birthday (I think my mom was pretty happy too!).

Liam and I made this masterpiece for Grandpa Bob and I think he loved it!

Kiddieland Here We Come!

2009-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

August 2009

It was a super busy trip while we were in Chicago, everyday we were on the go to somewhere and this day it was Kiddieland. This is a small amusement park about 1 hour from my parents house that has rides geared toward smaller children. It was a rather hot day but we did not let this get us down.

Liam was really too small to enjoy the rides but this did not stop him from me putting him on them. He never cried but looked worried at times. I love how flexible and trusting he is!

While there Sydney and Liam enjoyed some cotton candy! A true Peterson cannot resist cotton candy and they both passed the test!

We had such a great time and really enjoyed seeing Sydney.

The Museum of Natural History

2009-09-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

August 2009

While in Chicago we all went to the Museum of Natural History, not my choice but my nieces. Surprisingly we had a great time. Liam loved spending time with my brother, they checked out all the fun stuff together. This elephant really mesmerized him.

What a great pic with the family and this crazy pirate, my niece Sydney thought this was a blast.

Overall it was a great day and some even better memories.

The Brookfield Zoo

2009-09-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

August 2009

As you have probably guess I am a huge fan of zoos. My all time favorite is Brookfield Zoo, I have such fond childhood memories there. I was so excited to take Liam there to experience the magic too.

My favorite exhibit at the zoo is the gorillas, their human qualities intrigue me. This statue is a must have photo opportunity.

Inside the gorillas are amazing!

We also enjoyed the merry-go-round. Please take note that Mike is on this with the kids, I do not do circle rides if I can help it (yes, even the wimpy ones).

Grandmas Galore

2009-09-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

August 2009

We headed to Chicago for a weekend of family. Liam and I planned on staying for a little longer to have some fun with my niece while Mike had to get back to work to "make the bacon". We visited with his family while he was in town.

First we stopped by Great Grandma Bunny's house, Liam had a blast running around being a holy terror! Bunny house is my worst nightmare, everywhere I looked there were trinkets and breakables. I was exhausted by the time we left! When we got in the car to go home, I looked a little frazzled and Mike just laughed at me. It must be nice to just sit and visit and watch your wife loose 5 lbs chasing your child around!

Next we went to see Mike's mom which is always a mixed bag. I truly thought about sending Liam and his daddy to do this visit by themselves but then I thought better of it and went along. You just never know what kind of "mood" she will be in and for safety matters I thought I better go with. We went to the park for a bit and Liam had fun being a big boy on the slides and swings and then we grabbed a quick lunch. These visits are always hard on everyone but we made it through and I am glad that it will be a while before our next visit.

Liam's Harem

2009-08-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

July 2009

Many an afternoon is spent in the Boyle backyard enjoying great weather and even better friends. The kiddos have a blast swimming, playing and of course snacking. Liam and his harem are too cute for words much less clothes! (I think Liam has a shirt on but no shorts or diaper!)

Searching for that Perfect Book

2009-08-25T12:08:00.001-07:00

July 27, 2009

Liam loves books. I can always count on a book bringing him out of a sour mood . Today I found him in one of our many book cabinets intensely looking for just the right book.

Apparently he found just the right one!

What a Book!

2009-08-09T12:47:00.001-07:00

July 2009

Mike received this book in the mail today. It is an oculoplastic surgery text written by Dr. Long who precepted Mike in Alabama. Mike reads Liam a book every night before bed and tonight they were reviewing some very interesting photos!

The Battle Creek Zoo

2009-08-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

July 8, 2009

Today we took a mini-road trip with my neighbor Lori and her son Carter. We headed to the Battle Creek Zoo where they have the most unusual exhibit...feeding the giraffes. It was an absolute blast!

There was a deck that you walked out onto and the giraffes came right up to the netting to eat the lettuce. The zoo made a killing on this exhibit, it was 5$ for some lettuce and I think between the 2 of us we spent 25$ on lettuce! It was so worth it though, the kids were amazed.

Liam had no fear at all! He would hold out that lettuce and the giraffe would wrap that long sticky tongue right around his hand and suck it right in. Liam would squeal in delight. We had so much fun.

Real Life

2009-07-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

July 28, 2009

I always hear that blogs are always about everyone's happy stories and don't necessarily reflect real life. Sometimes I think that is true after all who wants to read about someone's problems but today I am going to write about real life. A painful day in the life of the Boyle's. Today's story will be out of order because of course I am behind on my blogging so be patient when this is one month out of order but I wanted to write down my feelings when they were fresh.

So everyone knows that we have been trying to get pregnant for some time now. Everything we do seems to take a long time after all I am a planner! We revisited the idea of fertility but thankfully it did not come to that. Friday I missed my period and took a pregnancy test, which was positive! YEAH!!! It was a light line but according to the directions it did not need to be a dark line. I could not wait to tell Mike when he got home from work. I phoned the doctor and made appointments to be seen and mentioned that I have a history of low progesterone with Liam. They wanted me to have some initial blood work done, HCG levels and a progesterone. I had those drawn on Friday and would get the results on Monday.

So now I had to find a creative way to tell Mike...I decided on balloons, pink and blue with a welcome baby one in the middle. Liam and I made a special trip to get them and I wanted to surprise Mike with them by tying a pregnancy test to the bottom and having Liam walk down the hall with them when he came home from work. Of course Mike got home from work early on Friday and met us in the garage. I pulled Liam from the car and the balloons and Mike looked at me blankly and said "What are all the balloons for?", I waited for him to figure out the colors and put 2 and 2 together but he seemed to be processing slowly. I said "I am pregnant!"

He was so excited and gave us a big hug and kiss. We talked about how great it will be to have 2 children, how the dogs would take one more step down the ladder of importance, how Liam would form that deep rooted bond that Mike has wanted so badly once the new baby comes. The Boyle house was filled with excitement and anticipation.

The weekend was great but being medical I am always a little pessimistic that things won't work out. I called first thing Monday morning looking for those test results. After the 4th call I finally had the nurse tell me that I needed to have the blood work redrawn. I started to ask questions and found out that the hcg was low and we needed to see if it went up over the weekend. I was sad and had a feeling that I was going to loose this baby. I called Mike at work in tears, he was so supportive and loving.

I woke up this morning bleeding. I now know that it is over. No baby this time. The nurse side of me realizes that this is probably for the best. The baby was not healthy. The mother side of me is so sad, I wanted this baby so badly. Even though I was not far along it still breaks my heart knowing what could of been. I have rationalized this over and over. We want a healthy baby, at least I know that I can get pregnant, thankfully it was super early in the pregnancy but no matter what it still sucks.

I am thankful for having a loving and caring husband who understands how sad I am and holds me when I cry. I am thankful for beautiful Liam, some women don't ever experience a pregnancy much less a beautiful child. I am thankful for knowing that I can get pregnant and will get pregnant again in the future. I am thankful for friends that hug me and support me when all I can do is cry. I am sad that there will be no baby this time but am hopeful for the next time I get pregnant.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2009

Happy Birthday USA! Today we celebrated the Fourth of July with friends here in Grand Rapids (Mike was on call so we were unable to make it to Chicago). We started out at the parade here in EGR. We had fun but it was a little disappointing, no bands just a lot of candy! We met friends there and headed back to our house for a bit.

That afternoon we went over to the Powsner's house. We bought our current house from them and became friends with them. I know totally random and a little crazy. We had a great time swimming, eating, and enjoying great friends.

We closed the weekend out up at Kamp Kendall! One of Mike's partners has a house up in Fremont on the lake so we went and had a wonderful afternoon. Liam really got into the spirit of it all by digging into this watermelon.

First Trip to the ER

2009-07-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

July 2, 2009

About a week ago we had our first trip to the Emergency Room with Liam. It was a normal evening, we had a great dinner and we were heading to the park. I left the kitchen to go to the bathroom and Mike was cleaning up from dinner. While I was in the bathroom I heard a loud bang and shortly thereafter Liam was screaming. I thought all was well, then I heard Mike say "Oh SHIT!". I raced into the kitchen to find Liam with a bloody face and Mike telling me that he put his teeth through the skin below his lower lip on a kitchen drawer. After some tears of my own we decided that he would need stitches.

At this point the big question became where should we go and who would stitch him up? We decided to go to the children's ER for some conscious sedation. By the time we got to the er the little guy was not crying anymore and was actively sucking on his pacifier and cuddling his favorite blanket. After what seemed like a long wait we met the first year resident, after some discussion and letting her know that Mike was a plastic surgeon she sent the attending in :) After a long talk with the attending we decided that he would sew Liam up with Mike's supervision :) (ah the joy of medical parents!)

Liam had an IV started for his sedation and it worked like magic, he was in mid cry as the drug took effect. Once I made sure that he was comfortable I left the room and let the boys get to work. Here is a picture of their handy work....

It took four stitches to close up the outside and the inside will heal on its own. Liam was a trooper and the doctors and nurses at the ER were wonderful. Hopefully we will not be seeing them for a while!

Daddy Time

2009-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

July 2, 2009

We continue to go to the zoo, sometimes multiple times per week :) Today we went as a family and Liam was really into spending time with his Daddy, a pleasant change. Mike just soaked it up!

The ducks and flamingos are the first thing we see upon entering the zoo and they are one of Liam's favorites. He spends lots of time on the bridge hanging on the rope and saying "duck, duck, duck" over and over. Oh, he has also started pointing (a big deal in the world of development!).

Another favorite is the petting zoo. He thoroughly enjoys the goats! He does require lots of reminders to be gentle but then quickly leans in to kiss them. So cute but OH so gross!

Today we even found a chicken to pet, who would of guessed that this little guy would just sit here ever so patiently while my toddler whacks him repeatedly!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-07-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

June 2009

Dear Daddy,

Happy Father's Day! From the moment I was born and I saw that look of total amazement on your face I knew I was loved. It was truly a miraculous moment that neither of us will forget.

From that day on we have continued to have moments that were only meant for a father and son. I know that I am always not the easiest guy to understand, especially when I was still nursing, but these last few months have just started to give you a glimpse into what our future holds.

I love you for teaching me the finer things in life like feeding the dogs from the high chair, screaming at the top of my lungs, and encouraging me to burp! Thanks Daddy for loving me no matter what and being the best ever!

Love,

Liam

Pool Fun!!

2009-07-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

June 2009

Today Liam played in his new pool and water table in his birthday suit. He had a great time.

The Nichols Family Visits

2009-07-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

June 20, 2009

My BFF Jenny came to visit Michigan with her daughter Danielle. Danielle was in a skating competition here by the house. We had a great time but the visit was way too short.

Sad News at the Zoo!

2009-07-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2009

We have a zoo membership so we visit almost every week! Liam is very fond of the petting zoo and loves to play with all the animals. I have grown fond of specific animals too. The cow is always a favorite because she is so sweet. She is so big and soft and Liam loves to pet her.

My all time favorite is Joe, a funny looking goat. He towers over Liam and has no ears (normal for his breed of goat). The real reason that I love him so much is not only for his crazy looks but for his quirky personality. He is always stealing maps and eating them and even will chew on people's clothes! He is such a great guy!

I am sad to report that both of our favorite animals are "retired". Joe now spends his time up in a pen where the kids can't get him. Although I miss him something terrible I can still see him and know that he is happy. The cow has retired at an employee's farm, or so I am told. I have a sneaky suspicion that she died but the keeper will not confirm this for me. Anyhow I know that they will both be happy but we will miss them so.

A Baby's Best Friend

2009-06-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

June 2009

Liam is a huge fan of our dog Fletcher. First thing in the morning he crawls over and plants a big open mouth kiss on Fletcher's nose, face, paw, or any part that he can reach. He spends a lot of his day chasing Fletcher through the house and having a great time.

Today I wanted to capture this love on film in our backyard. Unfortunately neither the dog or Liam would cooperate but I wanted to post it anyway. Liam is just the cutest kid ever and he makes me smile no matter what :)

Mister Fix it!

2009-06-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2009

Liam is busy, busy, busy these days! Our backyard continues to be one of his favorite places to play. He loves his new workshop that I found at a neighborhood garage sale. He works on fixing everything from his lawnmower to the dogs!

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

2009-06-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

June 1, 2009

The whole time my parents were here Liam was not feeling well. He was running a fever, not sleeping well, and was irritable at times. I thought he was maybe teething, I even had Mike check his ears but they looked ok. Then tonight at dinner he was not eating so I had a great idea that maybe applesauce would do the trick because if he was teething he would not have to chew it. I was SO wrong, the applesauce led to a 20 minute crying spell. Mike then checked his throat and found the culprit. Liam had nasty sores all over his tonsils! We called the pediatrician and she said HFM was going around and that it needed to run its course.

We felt so bad, he was suffering something awful. I gave him one of these frozen fruits to help his throat...he liked that quite a bit.

The next week was horrible, little sleep, lots of crying, and a very unhappy baby. I just hate when the little ones get sick it is such a helpless feeling.

Washy, Washy....

2009-06-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2009

My mom got Liam a water table made by Step 2, it is so neat. It is a big sink and has a pump that runs the water out of the faucet and it came stocked up with dishes. These pictures are from Liam's first time playing with it and he obviously LOVES it!

He was really into "washing" the dishes under the faucet and appears very serious at times. Grandparents are just the best :)

Who Needs to Go to the Park?

2009-06-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2009

My Aunt Lorie saved some Little Tike's play equipment for the yard and gave it to us! We now have a slide, a merry go round, a teeter tauter, and a swing! It is so much fun to just step out our back door into our own little park.

My parents brought everything from Chicago and helped me set it all up, Liam had a great time playing on everything.

Blowing Bubbles

2009-06-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2009

My parents came for a long visit this weekend while Mike went to a conference from Thursday to Saturday. Liam had a great time having special time with Grandma Jean and Grandpa Bob. My mom brought a giant container of bubbles and was teaching Liam how to blow them. I think he would rather eat them than blow them, but it was a great time regardless.

Mother's Day Reflection

2009-05-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2009

I wanted to follow up my Mother's Day post with just a few thoughts. What a difference a year makes! Last year I was still in the fog of survival with a newborn, this year I am able to sit back and enjoy being a mom.

I always knew that I wanted to be a mother from the time I was a little girl, I have always loved children and could not wait to have one of my own. Mike and I waited a long time to take the big step and it was definitely worth it. It is impossible to have any idea what this journey is about until you are living it. The love I have for Liam is indescribable. It amazes me daily that such a little guy could make such a huge imprint in our lives.

I realize that I am incredibly lucky to have a healthy child, a loving husband, 2 faithful dogs, and the ability to stay home with Liam. In today's economy we are blessed to be able to do this. I really appreciate how hard Mike has worked to get us to the point where we are today. After 15 hard years of studying, moving across country times three times, we are finally settling into what will be our forever home and life. I am so grateful to be at this place and can't wait to see what is still to come (hopefully a bunch more kids!).

So anyway Happy Mother's Day to every mom out there. I am only to beginning to understand the depth of what it is to be a mom....

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2009

Today we celebrated Mother's Day and it was wonderful. My day started out with sleeping in or at least pretending too :) Mike took Liam downstairs and started on breakfast and I stayed in bed all cozy for a little while. When I got down there Mike and Liam had my gift ready, it was a beautiful craft project that they made together. Ahh, so cute and so thoughtful (great job Daddy, you got it right this year). I hate this pic of me, first thing in the morning and all but it captured the moment.

We had plans to go to the Tulip Farm in Holland to look at the fields of beauty. Before we left I took Liam outside to play on his slide while Daddy cleaned the kitchen and GUESS WHAT???? Liam took his first steps! YES on Mother's Day, how perfect is that? I thought it might be a fluke so I took him inside and stood him up on the floor and he did it again! All that PT and exercises have paid off! We are so proud of our little guy :) Here is a pic of him taking some more steps at the tulip farm.

Once we got to the farm it continued to be an unbelievable day, we got some great pics.

I found this duck in the gift shop at the farm and Liam felt it was a must have, he is so addicted to it! He fell asleep on the way home with it still in his hand and his little thumb stroking the handle. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

Brotherly Love

2009-05-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2009

Fletcher and Liam get along quite splendidly. Liam loves to give him kisses and Fletcher reciprocates. Today they mastered the hug...too cute!

A Sliding Good Time

2009-05-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2009

The Little Tikes slide is getting a ton of use, the kids love it. Today Charlie and Liam played on it for quite a while. Liam can climb up all by himself, get in position to go down the slide, and then chickens out. If you offer him one finger he will go down and laugh the whole time. He knows what a sucker I am!

Naughty, Naughty!

2009-05-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

May 4, 2009

Liam loves to sneak off to the powder room to get into as much trouble as possible before I realize that he is missing. Usually he heads right for the toilet to splash around a bit but today he made due with the toilet paper...the WHOLE role!

There is a funny quote I found when I was working on the grandma's mother's day project..."My name is NO,NO but Grandma calls me precious!" How true it is!

A Random Day

2009-05-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2009

These pics were just some from a random day. As the weather warms we spend more and more time out in the yard. Liam is discovering a lot more now that he is so mobile. You can't trust him even for a second, he finds lots of trouble very quickly.

Today the object of interest was a tasty rock. It is so hard to discipline a child when you think he is just so darned cute even if he is eating a rock. Don't get me wrong, we do discipline Liam when needed I just smile when my back is turned. Ha, ha!

Tulip Fest 2009

2009-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2009

Today we decided to go to the Tulip Fest in Holland Michigan. We didn't know quite what to expect, it was a fair like atmosphere with not quite as many tulips as I thought. We enjoyed the weather and saw some tulips...

had some cotton candy and lemon shake ups...mmmm, and went on the Fun Slide! Yes, Liam and I went on the fun slide! It was such a great time. I think all the other parents thought that I was nuts to take such a little guy on such a big slide but he did well. I would definitely do it again.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-05-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2009

It has been a rainy week here in Michigan, although it has not slowed down the dogs. They went out today and had race day in our yard...as you can see from Fletcher it was a mess!

Trouble Maker

2009-05-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2009

Liam has been getting into a lot more trouble the more mobile he gets. As you can see from this pic he is playing IN the refrigerator! He is lucky I love him so much.

We Have a Speedy Crawler!

2009-05-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2009

So after the evaluation from Early On I was determined to help Liam in any way possible to increase his upper body strength. We worked on the exercises that they suggested and gave him endless encouragement. Guess what? It worked!

Liam crawls everywhere now. He has stopped spending his day problem solving how to get from point A to point B by cruising and instead just gets down and crawls. It is amazing how far he has come in a short amount of time.

These last pics were just too cute not to put in...doesn't he look just like Mike in this little shirt?

Another One Bites the Dust!

2009-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

April 25, 2009

Bad news at the Boyle house today, Sassy killed a squirrel! We were sitting down for a nice breakfast when I made the mistake of telling Mike that there was another squirrel on our bird feeder. He thought we should send out the hounds, I discouraged him but with no success.

The dogs went flying out the back door and the squirrel made a run for it right into Sassy! That was a big mistake, Sassy had the thing dead in a matter of moments. Mike felt horrible and I had a case of I told you so's!

Mike had clean up duty since it was his fault but I had a little fun with him before that. He was making waffles and I said oh look there is another squirrel out there...oh he is going over to the dead one....ahh he is stroking it's cheek! Mike got all freaky and then I burst out laughing. How the Boyles' have a sick sense of humor.

Play Group Fun

2009-04-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2009

Today we hosted play group at our new house. It was great to have everyone over and we even got outside to enjoy the sunshine. We were given this Little Tikes slide from a friend of Mike's at work and the kids absolutely love it.

Liam is working on mastering the stairs and the slide. Practice makes perfect!

At the Zoo

2009-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2009

So when spring finally arrives you better believe that everyone in Michigan takes advantage of the great weather. Today we (and everyone in the city of GR) went to the zoo. It was really crowded so it was hard for Liam to see a lot of the animals but he was able to have some hands on experiences. His first was with a bunny rabbit. He squealed with delight and kept patting it.

Then we headed to the petting zoo. It was Liam's first time and he loved it! He was a little rough with goats and kept grabbing their horns and yanking. We did a lot of reinforcing "Gentle, Liam, gentle!" thankfully the goats were very understanding :)

At the petting zoo there is a red line that is the animals "safe zone," they go there to get a break from crazy kids like mine. As you can see from this pic there were quite a few animals that wanted nothing to do with us. Can you blame them?

Early On

2009-04-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2009

When Liam had his 12 month check up I had some concerns about his development. For example, he could not get himself into a sitting position by himself, he could not pull himself up, and he army crawled. My ped reassured me that he was fine and would catch up.

When we first moved to Michigan I signed up for a developmental survey every three months through the county (Mike thinks that it was for poor people) but I thought it was a great idea. At his 9 month survey I wrote down some of my concerns and someone contacted me. It took about 4 months but someone came out to the house. Erin came to the house today to do a play assessment on Liam. It was very laid back but allowed her to assess his development.

She found that his upper body strength is definitely weak. His gross motor skills are at a 7-8.5 month old level with holes up to a 12 month old. That means that while some of his skills are a 12 month level a lot of his skills in gross motor are delayed. She found that he is army crawling instead of traditional crawling to compensate for his weakness. She also said that he pulls up using only his legs. She taught me a bunch of tips to help him relearn the right way of doing things that will help him build his strength.

We discussed that he does not clap yet and when he waves it is a sloppy whole armed wave, she explained to me that it all ties into his upper body weakness. She was encouraging in the fact that once he starts to gain strength everything will quickly fall in line and he will catch up soon.

After the appointment I was kind of upset. I did not want to hear that anything was wrong with my sweet outgoing and happy boy. I want him to be the strongest. I do realize though that we are lucky we caught it early so that we can help him now when the problems are small. A physical therapist will come out to the house once a month to check on his progress and we will bring him to a group meeting once a week for some pointers.

Since the appointment we have been working hard and encouraging him. He has really started to crawl in the traditional position and every time he falls down I hold him under the hips to help him. He is such a happy little guy which makes everything that much easier.

The Happy Hounds

2009-04-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2009

The poor hound dogs have not had much of a back yard now for a couple of years. In Alabama we had a very big yard but it was loaded with gumballs which are spiky little balls that would get stuck in their feet. In Michigan at our rental house the backyard was hardly big enough to poop in! BUT now they have a beautiful yard that is fenced in with tons of space to run. I have not seen them this happy or tired out in a long time.

This yard also comes loaded with squirrels! At first I thought it was great I would let them out the back door and they would peel out and chase the squirrels...all it takes is one dumb squirrel for the fun to end. Today I let them out and a squirrel did not quite make it to safety and Fletcher got a hold of it. I started screaming right along with the squirrel when he dropped it he was dripping blood. I thought for sure he got cut up by the squirrel but it turned out to be squirrel blood all over. YUCK! That poor guy probably did not last very long, maybe next time they could flat out kill it rather than letting it suffer a long death.

Meijer Gardens...again

2009-04-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2009

My parents are heading back to Chicago today but my mom wanted to visit the butterflies at Meijer Gardens so Liam and I took her there. My mom had a blast with Liam, it is so much fun to watch the two of them together.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

April 12, 2009

What a crazy weekend, we moved in yesterday and today we are celebrating Easter! Wow! My parents are still here and my mom brought all the fixings for an Easter feast so we were all set. We spent the morning at the park, Liam had a great time swinging with Grandma Jean and Grandpa Bob.

Liam opened up his presents from the bunny and Grandma and Grandpa...it was sort of like Christmas :) What a memorable Easter...

Moving Day

2009-04-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2009

Moving day has finally arrived! The past three weekends my parents have come up here so that we could borrow their minivan to move everything but the furniture. We have made a million trips but all the hard work has finally paid off. The moving truck arrived at 8am sharp and started loading up. We were at the new house by noon to unload, it was so exciting.

My parents slept with Liam at the new house last night so that he could keep his normal routine in the morning. It was the first time that I did not sleep in the same house as him, I woke up many times during the night thinking I heard him crying. It seems as if the mommy brain just never turns off! Once we arrived around noon my parents kept Liam busy riding around the block in his little blue car. He had a great time.

The poor dogs were locked up in the small part of the kitchen but settled down quickly. Overall everything went really smoothly and we are starting to make it our home.

Egg Hunt

2009-04-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

April 9, 2009

The play group I go to here is just the best! It is a bunch of girls that are mostly new to Grand Rapids and have children ranging from 1 month younger than Liam to 1 year older. We meet twice a week and have a great time together. Michele and Mandy planned an egg hunt at Mandy's house and it was pure chaos :)

Almost everyone from play group showed up for lunch and a little hunting. It was Liam's first official hunting and he was not quite sure what to make of it. I pointed out the first egg and after a lot of cajoling he picked it up and put it in his little basket. After that he just wanted to sit and play with his one egg, definitely not a greedy kid.

Liam spent some quality time with his two favorite buddies, his girlfriend Genevieve...

and his buddy Charlie. (Liam and Charlie are the same age by a couple of days, Charlie is running circles around Liam but in this pic Liam is trying to give him a ride.)

Easter is on it Way...

2009-04-07T09:58:00.001-07:00

April 2, 2009

Hippity hoppity... This year will be Liam's second Easter and the difference between now and a year ago is amazing! Can that even be the same baby? :)

He discovered Easter eggs while staying with AmandaJ and it was love at first sight! He sat with them forever dumping them out and then putting them back into the basket. He liked to smack them together and chase them all over the floor. It was great fun.

Grandma Jean has since bought him some of his own eggs so that the fun may continue here in Michigan.

Girlie Toys Galore

2009-04-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

April 1, 2009

AmandaJ has 2 beautiful girls, Addie who is 2 years old, and Sophia who is 4 months old. So needless to say they have a ton of girlie toys that Liam is very fond of! He really got into playing with the tea set, play food, and the baby care station. The kid has only had about 10 bottles in his entire life but he did not forget what it was for...too bad nothing came out!

He really had a great time as you can see from this grin on his face. Thanks for a great week AmandaJ.

A Swinging Good Time in Indy!

2009-04-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2009

Liam and I headed for a much needed trip to Indianapolis. We stayed with my BFF AmandaJ and had a great time. We went to the park for some fresh air and the kids loved the swings.

While there we met up with Hoa who was watching another nurses kids, they warmed up to Liam and loved helping him learn how to walk. Must be hard to be surrounded by beautiful girls all the time :)

Help! He Has Fallen...

2009-04-06T16:57:00.001-07:00

March 26, 2009

Poor guy! What a predicament to be in, not only has he fallen but his tiny hiney is stuck in the dog bowl! So sad...AND then Mommy ran to get the camera. Life is not fair.

Has Spring Sprung?

2009-03-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

March 25, 2009

It has been a long winter here in the deep North of Michigan, with a record snow fall we are definitely ready for some warmer weather. Today we were lucky to enjoy temps in the high 50's and low 60's which we felt like needed a celebration. We broke out the radio flyer wagon for a ride around the block. Liam loves the wagon and smiles the entire time I am pulling him in it.

These are some of the great pics I was able to capture after we put the dogs in the house. This one is especially funny to me. He started scrunching up his nose and laughing while we were on vacation and I was excited to get it on film.

I seriously think he is one of the happiest kids ever. Everywhere we go people comment on how easy going he is and how much he smiles. I like to think that he takes after his mama :)

Caught!

2009-03-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

March 2009

Now that Liam has learned to pull himself up he gets into a lot more stuff. One of his favorites (besides the toilet, the dog's water bowl, and the garbage can) is the refrigerator. As you can see he loves to "go shopping" when I get stuff out. He is so lucky that he is so darned cute!

Nursing Comes to and End

2009-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

March 14, 2009

When I decided to breastfeed Liam before he was born I always told myself that I would not be one of those crazy people that obsessed about making it work. I soon found out that you needed to be mildly obsessive to make it work because it was not easy. Those first couple of weeks were definitely a struggle for both of us but once we got past that we seemed to get into a groove that worked.

I survived by setting short term goals. My first goal was 6 weeks, then 3 months, and so on. Every time I was desperate to quit I would tell myself that if in one week I still felt the same way then I would quit (thanks Lindsey for that advice!), but things always worked out and I kept on nursing. Also please don't think that because I was the one breastfeeding that other people did not play a vital role in my success. Mike was such a huge support. So many times I would cry to him that I could not do it anymore and he would give me a pep talk about the women in Africa and that if they could do it so could I. I also strongly depended on Miriam from Brookwood lactation. Miriam was a friend of mine from the NIUC who gave me unwavering support even after I moved North. That poor girl received many phone calls of desperation! Looking back now it was a road with many ups and downs that are hard to explain but definitely worth it!

And now one year and three weeks after Liam's birth I have decided that it is time for us to give up nursing. Part of me wants to rejoice in happiness...freedom! I can now eat, drink, and be merry when I want. I can sleep in on the occasional day and hand off breakfast duty to Mike! I can wear a regular bra that has support for those droopy boobs! But part of me is so sad...I look back at all those quiet times we had together and know that things will be different.

I was worried about how Liam would react...I have been slowly weaning him so that we were down to just the morning feeding, would he even notice? Oh did he notice! I stopped the morning of our flight to Florida because we got up so early and it just seemed like a good time. Liam started randomly biting me throughout the week. He would bite me through my clothes, that was a real struggle. He also started pulling on the necks of my shirts trying to get in there...kind of embarrassing in public. Oh and watch out if he saw the girls while I was changing...he would start flapping his arms and squealing in delight. But now about one week out he has stopped doing all of the above and seems to be fine.

Looking back it was definitely worth the struggles to nurse him for over a year. It is nice to have some of my freedom back, I think the best thing is the bra...ahh some support again! Every time I start to miss nursing him I just start thinking about baby number two!

Life's A Beach

2009-03-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

March 14-21, 2009

Our big vacation this year was in Sea Grove Beach Florida which is right outside of Destin. We rented a beach house with the Vicinanzo Family from Birmingham Alabama. Mike worked with Matt in Alabama and we became close friends with them over our two years there. The Vicinanzo family consists of 5 children...yup you heard me right I said 5! Their four youngest came on the trip with ages ranging from 8 weeks to 8 years old, they are probably the best behaved group you will ever meet. Liam loved the chaos of the house and the constant entertainment they provided.

Our vacation was exciting to say the least. The first few days the weather was rainy but we made the best of it spending time at the pool and just relaxing. Then the plague set in...I am not kidding! Erin was the first to get sick with flu like symptoms, then their daughter Riley got it, then Mike, and finally Matt. Liam and I really lucked out and stayed healthy along with Gracie and Brodie. There was a lot of pooping and puking going on and a whole lot of cleaning. It was a complete mess but we survived and made the best of the time we had left.

The house we rented had a swimming pool which we used everyday. Liam loved it!

The beach was just a short walk from the house. Mike, Liam, and I (and usually a Vicinanzo kid or two) went for a walk on the beach every morning, it was so peaceful. Then every afternoon we would take Liam down to the beach before his nap. He was not so fond of the beach though. He hated the sand and would scream anytime it touched him...

He really like just sitting on the blanket playing with his stacking cups.

and would even practice his crawling...AS long as he did not touch the sand!

We had a great time! I really wish that we had a few more days to make up for the sick time but all vacation must come to an end. I love this last picture but for some reason I can't get the darn thing to turn so just turn your head a bit... :)

Motivation in Pacifiers!

2009-03-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2009

As you can tell from my previous posts I am worried about Liam and some of his developmental milestones, one of which is pulling up. Everyday I go into his room after a nap and the little guy is just laying in his crib happy as a clam. I have never found him sitting up let alone standing. So today was really the same as any other day, there he was laying on his tummy looking over the bumper at all his pacifiers that he had thrown onto the floor. Yesterday I started to line them up on the rail of his crib to get him interested in standing with no luck...but today we were lucky!!!!

He looked up at those tempting pacifiers and pulled himself up to his knees (he was laying on his belly) he then seemed satisfied because he could now reach the little buggers. I needed to run downstairs to get some wipes and this was how I found him!

I cheered so loud and then I started to cry! I am so happy to finally see some progress, I can't wait for him to do it again. After some pictures, and hugs and kisses we called Daddy at work to share the good news. What an exciting day!

Who would of guessed that the pacifiers would help him to succeed!

Meijer Garden Butterfly Exhibit

2009-03-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2009

Today was a rainy day so we headed to the butterfly exhibit at Meijer Garden. I was not sure that Liam would be into it or not but overall he enjoyed himself. He spent most of his time walking around like a big boy, holding onto my finger or pants of course!

The butterflies were beautiful, the colors were amazing. They were buzzing around everywhere.

One of Liam's new tricks is giving hugs and kisses. Whenever we tried to get a picture of Liam and I together he would give me a big sloppy kiss.

It was really funny, these pics aren't the most flattering of me but they really captured the moment.

One Year Check Up

2009-03-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

March 5, 2009

Today Mike and I headed to see Dr. Kort for Liam's one year appointment and because the poor guy has been sick since Monday. He started to run a fever on Monday night and it just seems to be sticking around. He is miserable! Dr. Kort said that rosiolla is going around so it might be that otherwise if he still has a fever on Monday we go back for lab work and a straight cath to rule out a urinary tract infection (sounds like a blast). I am praying that he gets better soon.

He weighs 19lbs 12oz, and he is 30 inches long. This checkup was a great time for me to discuss some concerns I was having about Liam meeting his developmental milestones. Mike thinks that it was ridiculous and I worry too much but who better to ask than the pediatrician, right? For example, when he is down on the floor rolling around he never puts himself into a sitting position, but if you sit him up he will sit there until he decides to lay down. He does not crawl in a traditional manner but army crawls on his forearms, and he does not pull himself up yet. I told her that it seems like his arm strength is just not there, she tested him and said that he is definitely not the strongest kid ever but not to be concerned and that he was on his own plan. She also said that if we do not see improvement over the next three months we would investigate further but she thought he was doing fine. It is just so hard to watch all the other kids in playgroup that are younger than him crawling and even walking already. I guess I just need to accept that some things are out of my control.

Besides those worries, Liam is doing great. He cruises the furniture like a pro moving from room to room and problem solving how to do it without letting go :). He is super social waving hi and bye to everyone, raising his arms up for so big, washing his hair with his hands when asked, clapping in his own little way, giving hugs and kisses when asked, and generally just a really happy guy. We make friends everywhere we go, his smile is contagious!

Happy Birthday Liam!!!

2009-03-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

February 28, 2009

Today Liam turned one! Can you believe it? This year has flown by...Liam's birth, the big move to Michigan, Mike's new job....but we made it and it was time for a celebration. I really had a hard time deciding exactly what to do for his birthday party. All of our family is in Chicago so originally I thought of having a big bash there but after some research I decided (with some help from Mary Rahman) that something more intimate here in Michigan would be best. Afterwards I am glad that was what I decided, it was perfect.

I started off by decorating the house the night before after Liam went to bed. This will be a yearly tradition, a friend of mine said that is what they do and I thought it sounded like fun. So when Liam woke up on his birthday I took him out to show him all the decorations. He LOVED everything especially the balloons. He was in paradise.

I made a cake for his party, it was my first try so I had some backups just in case. The Elmo head turned out great...cakes galore. Can you ever have too many birthday cakes?

My parents came from Chicago and Mike's dad came from Arizona for the party. We also had 2 of Liam's little friends from play group along with their families. It was a great group. Here is Charlie with his party hat on....oh and the dogs too!

We had a great meal of Chicago style beef sandwiches, corn casserole, homemade potato salad and more. Hmmm, it was so good.

We opened gifts which was pure chaos. A lot of family and friends sent gifts from Chicago and beyond so we had quite the chore ahead of us or should I say me because Liam was not really into opening the gifts.

Then it was off to the best part, of course, the cake!!! Liam had his own little smash cake. At first he was not into it and just picked at the frosting.

I almost took it away but left it on his tray while I cut cake for everyone else and that was when the party started! That boy definitely has my sweet tooth! He had cake everywhere!

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

One Year Ago...

2009-03-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

February 28, 2009

As a little girl I always dreamed of being a mother, one year ago today that dream came true and it has far exceeded my expectations. Liam is a miracle and a blessing that I don't know how we lived without.

He is my sunshine in the morning, everyday is new and exciting. Just when you think you know how things go he changes it up a bit, for better and worse. He can make me smile even at my grumpiest of times, and makes us laugh so hard that we both have side cramps and tears streaming from our eyes.

Liam has changed our lives forever, who knew how much you could love one little guy. I see so much of Mike in him...his looks, his charm, and of course his undying love for me! It has been so exciting this past year to watch him change and grow into a one year old and I am excited to see what the upcoming year will bring. I still remind myself daily to cherish every moment, good and bad, because I know the time will fly by. I love you Liam!

Let the Birthday Festivities Begin!

2009-03-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

February 26, 2009

So the big day is approaching fast...Liam is turning one! We are starting to celebrate a little early with our Thursday infant playgroup. I have made such great friends here in Michigan in such a short amount of time and can't believe how lucky we are. Liam has some great little friends too...

After I had some play time with the other kids, Mr. Sleepy Head woke up and made an appearance at his own party and we had some cake! Hmm, I made it and it was yummy!

Getting Into Mischief

2009-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2009

As Liam gets more mobile he seems to be getting into more mischief. Today I was on the phone writing down a recipe and he seemed very quite when I looked up he had completely unraveled a spool of tulle! He had such a pleased look on his face when I asked him what he was doing.

Then the next day I was busy in the kitchen making dinner and he had managed to cruise, transfer and reach his way straight for the bathroom. What a little rascal!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-03-03T12:51:00.001-08:00

February 16, 2009

Today was Mike's birthday, he had already got his big birthday gift...a fancy coffee machine. Liam bought him something small, a shirt from the television show the office, Mike had a good laugh over it. Mike and I went out for a quite dinner at The Chop House while Liam played with the babysitter and hit the sack early :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day Liam! Today we celebrated Liam's first Valentines Day. He is the love of my life (next to Mike of course!). Grandma Jean sent him this shirt that he has on in the photo and a really cute bib. Grammy Jill also sent a box full of great toys....I think he might be a little spoiled! Mommy and Daddy got him a ball...he loves it!

Beep, Beep

2009-03-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

February 7, 2009

My parents bought Liam this car for Christmas. We had to leave it at their house until I came back for another visit because the car was overflowing (surprise, surprise).

It worked out well though because when I came home at the beginning of February my mom took Liam out in it. He looked so cute but very serious at times holding onto the steering wheel with both hands! He started to get the hang of the horn and smiled every time it beeped.

Paella

2009-03-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2009

We used to go to a great restaurant in Birmingham called The Prairie Fire Grill, Mike especially loved their paella. He missed it so much that he recently bought a paella pan and made it himself. This one was a seafood one. I loved it but unfortunately Liam could not have any because of the shell fish.

Sleigh Ride

2009-03-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2009

One of my mom's friends found this sled in New York and had it shipped to us in Michigan...it is so much fun! Liam is so comfy in it and smiles the whole time we are out and about in the neighborhood. What a sight!

Even though the snow can be a challenge at times it really is a lot of fun and makes the winter bearable!

Advice from the Dog Whisper

2009-03-02T13:45:00.001-08:00

February 1, 2009

Have you ever watched that show The Dog Whisper? Well he recommends that you give every dog a job and we found the perfect one for the Fletch man....

Yep, as disgusting as it might seem we have him clean Liam's high chair seat after he eats. He does a great job and Liam thinks that it is hilarious!

Having a Great Time

2009-03-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

January 28, 2008

Liam is a very happy go lucky kid....I can't get enough of him.

A Smooch!

2009-03-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2009

Liam has learned how to give kisses that are slobbery and open ended. Besides me Fletcher is his biggest fan!

The Children's Museum

2009-03-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

January 15, 2009

We headed to the children's museum today for a little fun with Daddy! Liam was still a little young for most of the exhibits but it was a great way to pass some time on a cold Michigan day!

Liam and Daddy had a blast banging on the drums....

Cruising Along

2009-03-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2009

So I think that our little guy is a little confused about the order of developmental milestones. He is cruising behind push toys, transferring from one piece of furniture to another but he does not crawl like a traditional baby or pull himself up yet. He must be an independent thinker that wants to do it HIS way. Go figure.

Peek-A-Boo

2009-03-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

January 4, 2008

Liam may just be the best sleeper known to man kind! I am not kidding this kid sleeps 13 hours at night and then takes 2 naps a day that vary from an hour and a half to three hours. I known that I am spoiled rotten.

When I go in there to get him up from his naps he is rarely crying but just hanging out in his crib peeking over the bumper! Too cute.