The Connolly Family

You Know Your Child Is Watching Too Much TV When…

Between the months of me not feeling well and the construction that began shortly thereafter Liam has been watching entirely too much television.

We have 8 episodes of Sesame Street on our upstairs TiVo.Â Unfortunately, because this TiVo is not connected to the service (i.e. we don’t want to pay for two units) it’s basically a digital VCR, so those same 8 episodes have been on Liam’s playlist for the past three months.

One of these episodes is a spoof of Indiana Jones in which they search for the “Golden Triangle of Destiny.”Â This morning as Liam was pulling his blocks out of the box he picked up the triangle and exclaimed:Â “Oh, Mama!Â It’s the Golden Triangle of Destiny!Â Hooray!”

Thank goodness things are starting to get back to normal around here or we run the risk of Liam going to preschool having learned 50% of his vocabulary from episodes of Curious George and Super Why and something tells me that knocking over all the furniture to build a castle and then looking at his teacher and saying “I am a good little monkey, but I’m always very curious” isn’t going to cut it.

Gender Bender

We’re doing our best to raise a child who is not restricted by societal gender norms.Â This has proven basically impossible in any kind of definitive way, but I take this as a very good sign:

He may not ever need one of his own, but it’s nice to know that even at the tender age of two he’s trying his best to understand his female counterparts.Â Either that or he longs to be just like his mother.Â Or possibly he has a penchant for cross-dressing.Â You know, whichever.

Week 17

This has been a crazy week (which is why blogging pictures and anecdotes has taken a backseat to keeping Liam from playing with power tools).

On Tuesday we were told by the contractor(‘s helper) that it would be no problem for us to be back in the house and that Liam’s nap wouldn’t interfere with anything as what they had left to do was minor.Â This resulted in late, shortened naps for three straight days and Liam in a puddle on the floor by Friday afternoon.Â It also resulted in Mom and me running errands for the sake of getting us out of the house and copious amounts of Thomas The Tank Engine viewings downstairs in the family room.Â Keeping a curious toddler away from power tools, wet paint, and an insane amount of dirt and dust isn’t easy and by the end of the week we were spent.

On Wednesday we were told that they’d be finished on Thursday.Â On Thursday we were told that they’d be finished by Liam’s nap on Friday.Â On Friday about a half hour after Liam was supposed to go down for his nap we were told that they’d be finished by the end of the day on Friday.Â At the end of the day on Friday we were told that they’ll be finished by Liam’s naptime on Monday.Â God help us if it goes past that time (although I’m not holding my breath anymore).

All that was a long way to say that it’s been an even longer week at The Connolly Ranch.Â It’s now 9:30pm and I’m more than ready for bed so I’m going to get this show on the road.

Week 17 during my pregnancy with Liam:

Week 17 in this pregnancy (which looks basically identical to last week’s shot, but I assure you that if you look carefully enough you’ll notice the difference in the swollen, bloodshot, half-closed eyes):

I was asked last night if I think I’ll be brave enough to keep this up until the end.Â I said that I would, but I’m thinking we’ll just have to see how things progress…

Easter

Our Easter celebrations have been going on since last weekend’s egg hunt, but here are pictures from this weekend and the official holiday:

First off was a visit with Grammie and Pop yesterday during which Liam received his first Easter candy.Â Here are some pictures as he discovered that there were M&Ms inside that egg:

The Easter Bunny came to visit Liam:

As you’ll notice the Easter Bunny brought a coloring book, a package (containing a little toy and a CD), and some Easter candy.Â As you’ll also notice, Liam’s attention went immediately to the chocolate bunny and he hasn’t opened anything else yet.

“Oh!Â Chocolate!”

Here’s where we tried to take other things out of the basket to show Liam.Â You can see how interested he was…

Here’s where I gave up and opened the bunny for him:

And the big moment:

Shortly thereafter we moved to the table and added a bib:

He took a brief bunny break for an egg:

Aaaaannnnnd…back to the bunny:

All dressed for church:

After church we snuck in a couple of family pictures:

We finished up the day at Gran and Granddaddy’s for an Easter dinner.Â Liam was so high from the sugar and being overtired that we only took about 8 pictures, but here are a few of those we got:

The Easter Bunny visited Liam at Gran and Granddaddy’s too.Â In true Liam fashion, he was finished checking out his basket as soon as he saw the first thing in the stack, which in this case were stickers.Â He was briefly diverted by candy, but when he learned that I really wasn’t going to let him have more than one piece, he moved back to the stickers…

“Look, Dad!Â Stickers!”

Closer inspection:

Elmo loves Liam:

Liam loves chocolate:

It was a jam-packed day.Â I just hope that Liam wakes up well-rested and without a sugar hangover because we’ve still got a couple (hopefully only a couple) more days as nomads before we can go back to business as usual.Â Fingers crossed that everyone makes it intact!

Bubbles!

Last week Liam had great fun on Gran’s porch with the bubbles.Â Here are a few pictures:

So many captions, so little time…

“They’re coming to get me!”

Liam decided he was “ti-wad” and that it was time for a brief nap:

Another nap:

“BUBBLES!!!”

“So this is how you make bubbles, huh…?”

“Oh!Â Wow!”

Gran tries to show Liam how to blow a bubble.Â Liam tries to eat the bubbles.

“Really, Mama?Â Because this doesn’t taste so hot…”

“OH MY GOODNESS IT’S COMING AT ME!!!”

Dirty feet are a sign of an afternoon well spent:

Renovation Teaser

Since last Monday we’ve been spending our days at Gran and Granddaddy’s house because our house is undergoing a minor renovation (but any renovation is cause for removing Liam from the premises these days).

The dreaded wall is partially gone (life is one big compromise, isn’t it?).Â I’ll post a chronicle when we’re all finished, but here are some pictures of me taking some long-awaited whacks at that wall.

There’s some fantastic symmetry about being pregnant again and finally getting to take some chunks out of that wall because during my last pregnancy it took everything I had to leave it alone.Â Demolition is good therapy.

First Egg Dye

On Thursday Liam had his first taste of dyeing eggs.Â I stripped him down in anticipation of the event, but as it happened he never touched any dye at all.Â He did, however, immensely enjoy being allowed to run around in nothing but his diaper all afternoon.Â Here are a few pictures of the event:

“Oh!Â The anticipation is killing me!”

Picking out the colors:

“It’s turning blue!”

Sheer concentration:

Easter pasties (I smell a family tradition coming on…):

Naked baby dance:

More sticker admiration:

Knee stickers:

Diaper stickers:

Finished product:

Week 16

I’m getting brave in my old age.Â So in an attempt to document this pregnancy, in the hopes that this pregnancy will be lighter (in many ways) than my pregnancy with Liam, and in the vain attempt to release myself from the stigma that resulted from the last pregnancy I have decided to post pictures weekly from this pregnancy and from my pregnancy with Liam at the same point.Â It might be completely nuts and it might be good (free) therapy.Â It may be a little of both.Â Here goes:

This is me at 16 weeks with Liam (WOW!Â I sometimes forget just how tired I was…):

This is me last night at 16 weeks with this pregnancy (extolling the virtues of a good camera):

I might even go so far as to say that stay-at-home-motherhood is agreeing with me!Â We’ll see if I’m still saying that next week…

Miscellaneous Cuteness

This is a picture from last week that refused to be imported.Â I finally got it to work today.

Voila!

Epic Time Out

Today I got a taste of the terrible twos.

Our day ended with an epic battle between mother and son over the Easter eggs that he had strewn all over my parents’ kitchen.Â I got him to pick up all but three.Â Those last three eggs were still sitting on the floor next to the basket that they belong in when we left this afternoon.Â Our drive home was a time-out.Â He got another when we got home (as promised).

I read somewhere recently that kids this age are just jerks a lot of the time.Â I’m lucky in that my child isn’t a jerk most of the time.Â Apparently though, when he cares to make his jerk move (such as looking me in the face as I ask him to pick up the eggs for the eight-thousand and first time and saying “No” clearly and with purpose) he sticks to his guns.Â I spent about 40 minutes of the last part of our day at my parents’ house putting him in time-out for two minutes, pulling him out and giving him a chance to put the eggs away, having him refuse, and then putting him straight back into time-out.

There was yelling (mine).Â There was rude defiance (his).Â There were tears (also his).

In the end no one really won.Â All I can hope is that somewhere deep in his synapses he got the message that although he may have the capability to be a stubborn little jerk, he comes by it naturally and I can hang in there with the best of what he’s got to offer.

The other option is that I just leave him in the pack-and-play in Sarah’s bedroom with the lights out until he turns eighteen.Â One more good day of this and that may be the option that wins out.