The Connolly Family

Here We Go!

This morning Liam really wanted to get to the laptop Matt was using on top of the sofa.Â So, of course, he proceeded to put one hand on the couch, then the other hand, and pulled to a stand.Â Then, also of course, Matt still wouldn’t let him have the laptop (see earlier post, YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?) , and he promptly sat back down on the floor and whined and pouted.Â Toddlerhood is gonna be a blast!

The Poop

Total number of diapers I’ve changed today: 6

Total number of diapers involving poop I’ve changed today: 5

TPing

No, I’m not on a wild quest to regain my lost teenage years, I’m talking about Liam. Several weeks ago, as we was exploring his new found freedom of movement, he found the toilet paper. I know that this is a milestone for most kids, but do most kids eat it when they discover it? The real excitement (and the reason that he made it all the way into the bathroom from his bedroom) is because we had just gotten our new camera and I was messing with it for the 30 seconds it took him to crawl down the hall and eat the toilet paper. The best part? I was able to capture it on film with our fantastic (and most importantly, fast) new camera!

Mmmmmm

So this morning at the breakfast table as I was feeding Liam his oatmeal, my hand brushed across a sticker on my shirt.Â It was a small M.Â It was stuck directly on the front of a certain appendage.Â I wore this shirt yesterday–all day–including a trip to Candler Park for Matt’s last kickball game.Â I think the M stands for Mommybrain.

Dear Shannon,

Welcome back from vacation!

We wanted to inform you of a few things that have changed in your absence and will affect your current position:

First, all potential hazards that used to be of no interest to the project subject have become interesting during your leave. Don’t worry–everything that was interesting and dangerous before you left is still in the line of fire–we didn’t want to change everything on you all at once!

Secondly, we wanted to make sure you realize that the subject now moves at approximately eight times the speed he previously did. Part of the newfound agility includes the continual desire to pull up to a standing position. The subject cannot currently perform this task, yet he makes efforts to this end almost constantly. This usually results in what has been previously coded as a “bonk,” and generally occurs in the cranial region. The subject does not enjoy this and will make his displeasure known. Please make a note of this in your records.

Also, due to the increase in size and variation in intake of the subject’s diet since your leave began, there will undoubtedly be changes in his output. He generally waits until the night shift leaves before making any notable output. Also, due to budget constraints, we have been forced to lay off your assistants.Â We wanted to make sure that you’re aware of this change so that you aren’t alarmed when faced with the results.

Additionally, as the subject has matured, you might be excited to try new things on your first day back. Please refrain from doing this, as it only assures frustration and eventual failure. This will negatively affect our data and we’d prefer that you keep this in mind as you go through your day.

If you have any questions, please remember that you must answer them yourself as you are the supervisor.

Thanks and welcome back!

-The Management

Such A Long Way…

…in such a short time:

5 days old, dark brown hair, approx. 7.5 pounds, immobile!

Â 7.5 months, dark blonde hair, somewhere well above 18 pounds, too mobile for words!

It’s such a cliche, but I truly can’t believe it…

Roundup

Here’s another pictorial roundup:

Some good shots in the kitchen with Mo:

His new move:

An ad for Coke if I’ve ever seen one:

Happy boy:

Talking with his Gran:

Liam’s new favorite place to try pulling up:

I swear, he does have other shirts…

Liam Makes A New Friend

Yesterday morning, Liam made a new friend.Â The story of this meeting goes something like this…

Liam crawls under the breakfast table where his mother and grandfather are eating breakfast.

Liam reaches the other side of the table where there is a game of Scrabble and a dictionary in a pile on the floor.

Liam’s mother knows that these are the only things on the floor on the other side of the table, but decides to stand up and make absolutely sure there’s nothing Liam can eat.

Liam’s mother stands up and sees Liam playing with his new friend and screams and jumps around like a little girl.

Liam’s grandfather nearly knocks down two chairs trying to get to Liam as his mother is too busy screaming and hopping up and down.

Liam’s grandfather gets Liam but fails to reach Liam’s new friend.

Liam’s new friend changes course and goes towards Liam’s mother, which only makes her scream more shrilly and jump higher.

Liam’s grandfather nearly throws Liam at his mother as he chases Liam’s new friend.

Liam learns a hard life lesson from his new friend as Liam’s grandfather smashes his friend to bits.

Liam’s mother stops screaming and decides that a reenactment is just the thing:

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures from yesterday.Â I think they’re pretty self-explantory:

Roundup

Here’s a general pictorial roundup of the things we’ve captured so far.

A rare shot of Liam sleeping on the ride down:

A rare shot of Liam in a good mood on the ride down:

Just after being released from his car seat prison:

Trying on his new hat:

Eating like a champ (during the time we’ve been here he’s gone from eating a little bit at one meal regularly to eating a lot at three meals…I just hope all the clothes we just bought him will fit!):