Category: Pictures

Today has been a nightmare at the Connolly Ranch.  The bottom line is that our little girl is now moving.  I left her on her play mat the other day while I put Liam down for a nap and when I came back I found this:

Here’s a hint:  She didn’t start out there.

She’s moving in ways that result in her ability to gather up choking hazards at lightening speed and to wriggle out of her miracle blanket in such a way that it frequently ends up around her neck.  This is unsettling at best.  Also?  We kept finding her on her stomach.  The AAP is shaking its collective head at us.

So yesterday I put her down for her first nap without the miracle blanket in an attempt to reduce the strangulation hazard because I hear that’s frowned upon in certain circles…

It did not go well.  Not well at all.  She fussed for around half an hour before she finally gave in and fell asleep.  I’m not exactly certain of the time it took since I got in the shower for my only shot at personal hygiene all day.  When I got out she was asleep.  For 42 whole minutes.

And then the screaming started.

She never went back to sleep.

At her second nap of the day I put her back in the wrap because I was weak and desperate.  Once again she woke up on her stomach with the wrap around her neck.  When it was time to put her down for the night last night (because Matt and I were totally exhausted after a very long week) it made more sense to us at the time to use packing tape between her legs in an attempt to keep the wrap from ending up around her neck.  It worked, but only in the sense that it ended up coming off in the other direction.  This morning she was still wrapless and still on her stomach.  So today I tried again.  There has been so much screaming.  She’s awake right now after having slept for an hour.  It might be her longest stretch of sleep in two days.  We’re so tired.

There is not enough beer in this house.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday afternoon.  I’d like to have pictures of both of my children but Liam is generally uncooperative of anything I’m asking him to do these days and fighting for pictures just isn’t worth it.  I got a few shots of him that I’ll put up here, but as you’ll see by the disproportionate number of pictures of Paige, she’s a much more willing participant.  I’m taking advantage of that while I can.  Here are some pictures of (mostly) our sweet baby girl.

Do my children have the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen, or what?

Liam started out the day by making a heart cake with Gran.  He then devolved into refusing to nap.  He finished the day by waking up multiple times crying for water, the last time at 10:30.  We’re in a war with his sleep habits right now and Matt and I are losing.  Badly.  We have tried EVERYTHING that we could think of, EVERYTHING we have read about, and we’re still losing.  He’s still losing, because he is exhausted and cranky and generally a pill to be around.  We’re not giving up, but it would really be okay with everyone involved if this stopped.  Soon.  Everyone’s tired of fighting.  But I digress.  Before the day ended in a puddle on the floor, Liam made a heart cake with his Gran.  Here are the pictures (I think they speak for themselves):

Happy (slightly belated) Valentine’s Day!

When we went to Dr. Hutson for Paige’s 4 month check-up we ended up deciding to (try to) start feeding her oatmeal and bananas (solely in an attempt to help quell the major digestive issues caused by both her formula and her acid).  Read:  I change her clothes multiple times daily and we can’t really take her out of the house to go anywhere that doesn’t have a changing station (which basically means other people’s houses and church) because things are so out of control in her bowels.

The point is?  We started trying to feed her oatmeal a couple of days ago.  You can see for yourself how it went…

Before:

Anticipation:

First bite:

Realization:

Further realization:

One:

Two:

Three:

Alright–let’s see if Gran has better luck:

“Oh, Mama!  I’m sure this will taste much better when Gran feeds it to me!”

“Oh, dear.”

I think this is my favorite shot:

“Oh, Mama!  Why did you let her do that to me?”

“Gran!  I trusted you!”

“I can’t believe you would betray me in such an egregious manner.”

“This tastes much better than that other stuff.”

“Gran!”

“Seriously!”

Gran tries the maybe-a-huge-smile-will-make-it-all-better approach:

Oh well…

“Oh Mama.  Stick a fork (or a spoon, as the case may be) in me, I’m done.”

Next up:  bananas!

In all fairness, I don’t really get to leave the house between Tuesday and Friday on a regular week but Matt does and Liam goes to preschool and with neither of those things happening things around here are starting to get a little nuttier than usual.  At least there were some fantastic photo ops in all of this…

Paige is unaffected by the craziness outside:

Liam’s all ready:

Obligatory measuring tape picture:

Let’s get this party started:

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Final Product:

Monkey see, monkey snow angel:

Snowballs:

Bull’s Eye:

More snowballs:

More snow angels:

Wash, rinse, repeat:

Off to explore:

Once more for good measure:

Stripping down:

Me and my monkeys:

Preparing the path:

Liam takes his turn:

Things are a lot sunnier inside the house:

Liam’s new favorite game…

Take a chunk of ice:

Crack it over your head:

Fall to the ground:

Play dead:

Laugh hysterically:

Find another sheet of ice…

Start the process over again.  And again.  And again.

Liam’s first hot chocolate:

This is what happened when Matt asked Liam to smile with his mouth open:

Fingers crossed that we get out of the house before the weekend.  My food hoarding tendencies have helped us tremendously but even we won’t be in great shape by Saturday if this keeps up…

On the 8th, Liam and Matt and I headed to Athens to celebrate Lou/Granddad/GGDad’s 90th birthday.  Paige (and the camera) stayed at home with Gran and Granddaddy.  Here are some pictures I found on the camera when I got home:

Thanks for getting these, Gran!

On the 27th, Liam turned 3.  His birthday is always at the end of a marathon of gatherings and celebrations, but his birthday only comes once per year and we’re going to celebrate, dagnabbit!  It’s simultaneously hard to believe that it’s only been 3 years since we became parents and that there was ever a time when Liam wasn’t a part of our lives.  I guess that’s just how it works with these things.

It was Liam’s day and he wanted to start it with a little Chutes and Ladders:

This picture was taken just before an epic exchange that nearly resulted in Liam’s presents being given away to children who don’t have any presents.

I won’t go into the particulars but suffice it to say that it’s more than a little difficult to feel anything but frustration when you’re 3 years old and you’re given loads of fun things to play with and then asked to put them all aside in order to open more fun things to play with.  We eventually got past this bump in the road and Liam decided he’d like to open his birthday presents.

“It’s a car, Mama!”

“Thomas!”

Arches and columns and stairs, oh my!

Mama’s little monkey:

Apparently all we needed to get Liam to voluntarily take a bath was to give him new bath toys.

Shooting hoops:

Tub flutes:

When we asked Liam what he wanted for his birthday he told us “chocolate cake and pizza.”  That’s exactly what he got.  Thank goodness his Gran loves to bake!

“There’s a ‘3’ in the M&Ms!”

Firefighting birthday boy:

Firefighting Aunt G:

Dynamic duo:

When the birthday boy wants pizza, the birthday boy gets pizza.  Even if no one else is quite ready…

Liam gets down to business:

‘Mote control firetruck!

Velveteen Rabbit:

He’s still just as fascinated with this as he was when he first opened it:

Thomas stickers!

Pete the Cat (which he had memorized after 3 readings — the unmistakable mark of a fast favorite):

“Pete the Cat animal” (which is how he refers to this when he’s getting ready to go to bed…which he no longer does without Pete):

Cake!

Yay!

And so begins the saga of the blowing out of the candles…

Consternation:

Effort and anticipation:

If at first you don’t succeed…

Try…

…and try…

…and try…

…and try…

…but when in doubt?

Get a little help from Dad!

Hooray!

And now?  Let’s eat!

And the cake didn’t stop on Liam’s birthday.  The next week when he went back to school Gran came through again with cupcakes to share with his friends.

Liam wasn’t at all disappointed that there were some leftovers…

If deliciousness of a cupcake can be measured by the amount of mess a toddler can make with it…

(and I’m pretty sure that it can)

Then I think we can count this cupcake (and this birthday) a smashing success!