We have a first word!

Besides "mama, dada" and the other baby jibberish, Joe and I have decided we officially have a first word!  APPLE.  Pronounced "Aaaa-ple."  It's the cutest sound in the world.  And sometimes the "aaa" part has a hard time coming out even though his mouth is wide open.  :)

I'm about as good as updating this as I am keeping Liam's baby book current.  Sorry, people.  If we have another baby I hope I can remember all of the different stages.  I thought Liam being a newborn was hard.  Looking back, it was a walk in the park!  He couldn't walk, he didn't ever get his clothes dirty (unless it was a blowout day!), he slept anywhere.  Ahhh.  Those were the days!  He's a little crazy guy now.  He never sits down when he's awake.  EVER.  Well, I take that back.  When he wakes up in the morning he has a new routine.  He hands me his binky (only trying to let him have it at naptime/bedtime---and he knows that's the ticket out of bed!), grabs his blanky and we get his milk and a snack cup of Cheerios and snuggle on the couch.  This is my favorite time of the day.  He loves to cuddle and take his time waking up.  Milk to him is like coffee to me.  Needs it to get going!  After about 20 minutes of this he's ready to go though.  And so our day begins.  This is definitely the most fun stage as far as his development goes but I feel like we are having an independence power struggle.  He absolutely despises being put in a grocery cart, doesn't want to be pushed in his stroller, kicks and fights being put in a high chair if we are out for dinner.  Oh boy.  The last few weeks I've found myself not wanting to even leave the house.  I think he is the reason!  It's easier to just not have to battle with him.  Hopefully this is a stage that passes.  I miss the days where he was content to walk down every aisle at Target with me!

We went to the car show this past weekend.  I wish I had him on video.  He was hilarious.  He is the biggest flirt!  Grandpa Dave carried him a lot, he only wanted Grandpa to carry him, so I got to follow behind and witness the flirtation from a different perspective.  He knows how to work it!  I swear he smiles, points, waves until he gets whoevers attention he wants.  And once he has it he started giving them pretty eyes, looking back and pointing very sweetly after we'd passed.  So funny.  We didn't even try taking the stroller because I knew he'd hate it.  We leashed him up and let him go.  His favorite car was the Cadillac CTS-V wagon.  He gave it a big kiss and clapped for it.  He loved getting in the cars!

Our friends invitied us to go to Hawaii with them, they leave on Wednesday.  We aren't going because of Joe's school schedule.  With the rain this morning, I'm feeling pretty blue knowing we could have been leaving Wednesday.  School will be worth it, right?  Right?  Right?  Maybe next year, Hawaii....

Happy Monday!

Happy New Year!

Last picture taken in 2011.  Liam's hair is getting so long!

Happy New Year!  We had another busy weekend.  We've been away every weekend since December 16.  We had a great holiday, I feel like we've been celebrating non-stop for a month now.  We got a lot accomplished, including seeing lots of friends we've been wanting to get together with but just haven't been able to get coordinated with.  So great to see everyone!  One of the highlights over Christmas break was getting the opportunity to go skiing not once but TWICE.  Thanks to my in-laws for babysitting for us.  I needed to be reminded how much I enjoy skiing.  And I must admit, having a mama break was a huge thing.  I felt giddy all day, like a kid again.  It proved to me how important it is to have occasional breaks and do something with Joe that we both love and have fun doing.  I came back feeling so refreshed and ready to be a mom again.  We went skiing on New Years Day with Joe's cousin Gil, Dylan, his cousin Katie and her husband Marino.  It's so much fun to have a group to go with.  I loved it, I love being with them and it makes me so excited for when Liam starts skiing.  A family that skis together stays together! 

Hope 2012 is off to a great start for everyone so far.  I need to sit down and write a list.  I love having lists and I have a lot of stuff I want to work on and get accomplished in 2012!  I guess my first New Years Resolution will be to get motivated to write that list. :)