Author: Shannon

So maybe Liam’s nickname is having adverse effects…

He still refuses to walk (and for those who think I’m just being dramatic — please be assured that although I am prone to sweeping dramatic statements for maximum effect — this time I’m just being descriptive).  If you put the kid down on his feet without his cart or in reach of something to push or cruise against he sits down immediately.  Matt spends considerable time putting him on the ground on his feet and trying to coax him to take a few unaided steps and it’s not for lack of ability, but Liam will not do it without support.  He stands unaided just fine and more than a few times he’s taken steps without holding on to anything — but he’ll only do it when he’s distracted enough not to realize that he’s doing it.  If you proceed to make a big stink about it he snaps back into consciousness and determinedly sits down.  I personally don’t care if he ever walks — he gets into enough trouble on all fours, thanks very much — but if I have to endure months and months of people trying to coax him to do it and then sighing “ahhhh” in an exasperated tone when he eventually sits down or goes to get his cart I might pull all my hair out (see — there’s your sweeping dramatic statement for maximum effect).

Last night as Matt was playing with him in the living room he watched as Liam used his Lego bin as a stepping stone and climbed on top of the ottoman that was sitting beside it.  This morning I watched him do the same thing.  He has now climbed the stairs from the family room from bottom to top several times in very short order (we were right behind him) as well.  He only walks on all fours, he climbs furniture and stairs, and he’s mischievous.  Has he become a monkey?  Erving Goffman warned me about this…

…Brown Bear, Brown Bear!

I just finished reading this book to Liam 6 consecutive times.  This brings today’s total up to 14.  When he moves on to The Hobbit – it’s up to Matt.

Today, as Matt was changing Liam’s diaper we experienced our first instance of a sailor jumping ship, so to speak.  He (or she since females can do anything that males can do) lept off the edge of the upper deck and straight into the water.  Matt uttered a word that we hope doesn’t turn into Liam’s first word.  The only thing I could think to do to help was to look down on the situation and loudly exclaim “Poop Print.”  I’m extremely helpful that way.

Liam had his one-year checkup on Monday.  He’s perfect, of course.  Matt wanted me to post the vitals, so here they are:

Height:  30.25″ long = 50th-75th% (he’s shrinking…)

Weight:  22 lbs., 2.5 oz. = 50th% (right where he’s always been…which got me thinking…I mean — Liam is heavy to carry around all day so what are the women who have kids in the upper 50th% doing?  Are they that much stronger than I am or do all those kids walk earlier than Liam will or is it just that they don’t pick them up as much?)

Head:  18.5″ in circumference = 50th-75th% (holding steady there too)

That stuff’s interesting and all — but I spent yesterday afternoon thinking about one part of the visit:

At some point our doctor asked if Liam is “pretty much eating what you guys are eating at the table.”  My immediate thought was: Oh Goodness, NO!  I’d never feed him what we’ve been eating the last couple of weeks. 

That’s not a good sign.

This got me thinking about the food that Matt and I eat–specifically the numbers of canned things with too much sodium, veggies and fruits with too many pesticides (or pesticides at all, really…), frozen convenience meals that have enough preservatives to keep us until we’re 100 (maybe without any organs by that time as they’ll be eaten away by the same preservatives, but still…if I weren’t planning to be cremated I don’t think formaldehyde would be necessary…), meats and dairy products with harmful hormones, etc., etc., etc.

I’m certainly not saying that I’m never eating Chick-fil-A again (let’s not get rash) but I started doing some research on Organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs in the area to see how that would work for our budget while providing us with weekly local (and therefore seasonal) fruits, veggies, and nuts.  The one I’d heard about in the past that is fairly close to us says on their website that they’re full at this point and you just have to wait until openings become available.  It was pretty unclear as to how that would work — but I signed up for the newsletter anyway — I figured it wouldn’t hurt and there is a weekly open-air market attached to it in the Spring, Summer, and Fall so that would be a neat thing to take Liam along to see as well as a convenient way to get fresh veggies from local growers.  The cool thing was that I found this.  It’s not nearly as close to our house as the other one but it is very close to Matt’s work so theoretically he could pick up our baskets on most weeks and if he has a meeting or can’t make it I could do it on those weeks.  I’ll also check out how easy it would be to go to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market once per week since I already know it’s fabulous.  Matt and I are also planning to go peruse this Farmer’s Market which is closer to our house.  I already have a bias in favor of DFM but I’m trying to go in with an open mind and see what we can find.

It’s going to be a balancing act to find out which things are most important to buy organic and to see how much fresh produce we can buy through local agriculture outlets while keeping in mind our budget and the fact that it’s not exactly ecologically responsible to drive all over the known universe to find said things.  That sorta defeats the purpose a little bit, doesn’t it?  At least I drive a Civic and I’ve filled it up twice since June so I’m not exactly creating global warming on my own, now am I…?

Well–I’m off to feed Liam his homemade organic applesauce and oatmeal…

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Every day we engage in epic battles with Liam both morning and night in an effort to brush his four teeth.  The only thing that works even remotely well is singing the “Brush Your Teeth” song (by Raffi, of course).  There is still snarling, screeching, and yes, gnashing of teeth.  Up until a week or so ago this was the only brush that Liam knew.  This was the first time we brushed his hair with his hairbrush when he was developmentally able to recognize and retain the language enough to have labeled it in his mind.  The only problem with this was that when I told him it was a brush he proceeded to stick it in his mouth because, as I’d told him thousands of times before, this is where a brush belongs.  I began to teach him that this is a brush we use in his hair.  He seemed to understand and was soon “brushing” his own hair.  As I realized the complication I’d just created Matt and I looked at each other and both exclaimed that we’d be lucky if he doesn’t try to brush his hair with his toothbrush.  Tonight he did.  I think the only reasonable solution is just to never brush his hair again.