Off to School

Our little Michelen Man has started school just a few weeks ago. He attends a Waldorf-based pre-school where he finally gets to hang out with a few kids of his own gender. Seriously, there must be something in the water. All of Liam's friends up until now have been girls. Jocelyn, Tatum, Cicily, Josephine, Kaylee, Nadia and the list goes on. He's got a few new bros in school: Ry and Solomon to name a couple. The school is actually in a Jewish Havurah in Ashland. He loves it, but there certainly were a few days of adjusting.


We recently just got back from a little jaunt to San Francisco where I let Amy shop a little. Liam stayed with his cousins in Sacramento and absolutely loved it. The pic above is from a recent trip to Lake Tahoe. Aim and LJ are reading on the beach. Liam takes his literature very seriously. He's growing so fast. We just took delivery of his very own 'big boy bed'. Hmmmm....maybe he'll actually sleep in it as he's been sleeping on the floor next to Mommy's bed every night for the past few months. What a twerp!

Wow..I am not a blogger that is for certain. I apologize for not keeping up with the little boy's page. He has certainly grown since out last visit. He's more cerebral and verbose than athletic though. Regardless of milestones, he is the joy of my (and my wife's) life. He has become quite a little man with very strong opinions of how just about everything should be done. He was essentially potty trained about 6 months ago, but continues to request a diaper when he has a poo on deck. Then he proceeds to request 'privacy'..."Daddy, go away, I need privacy". So we let him hang by himself in the family room until such a time when he decides to rejoin the toddler rat-race. We had a slight potty training fiasco. We had informed Liam that after his 'last package' of diapers was finished he would have to use his potty. Liam was seemingly very excited about this and kept telling everyone' when I use my last diaper, then it will be time to use the big potty". The fateful day came and when he advertised that he needed to make a poop he was very resistant to using the potty. After 4-5 false starts he finally raced into my office and yelled, "I have to poop, I have to Poop!!". We went into the bathroom and he sat down and then when he was about to deliver...he yelled 'I'm freaking out Daddy' and then jumped up and started crying hysterically...needless to say I found 'one more diaper' and 1 month later we're still using a diaper and needing privacy.

The End of Innocence

The munchkin has finally morphed into a little boy. His every word amazes me. His turn of phrase is the equivalent of a toddlerescent Don Rickles We do have our hands full, as do many. At 2.75 years he is emerging into boyhood and that both scares and saddens me. he desire very little time with Daddy. But, ironiclly , I am the go to person to diffuse a tantrum and calm the beast within.

Late Update

Our boy is growing up. So much has happened since we thought to start this blog. We haven't been keeping this updated. Liam is now 17 Months as of 12/7/08. His 1st birthday was great with Grandma and Grampa Garrett visiting. Grandma (nonnie??) made a hat for the little man...he loved it. He walked for the first time in late October and by a month later was cruising. The facts that he can walk still cracks him up now and then. We just spent an early modified X-mas with the entire Fam. Shannon made a rvisit...arranged by Amy. Very sneaky. It was great. Liam loved having everyone here and was finally able to get to know Aunt Sissy a little better. Liam hand a very fruitful day but of course loved ripping into boxes and playing with old toys as much as the new ones. And....he made his first poop in his potty....we had to celebrate that one. Each day he seems to become more like a little boy and less like a baby. 16 months ago, I couldn't have even imagined what this transformation would be like. It's truly great. But of course Liam loves Mommy more...that's just the age, or at least that what I tell myself. Well, Grandma (who is trying to come up with a less...well...less old sounding name, is currently trying to be called Nonnie and I have no idea where that came from) and Grandpa are still here for a few days. Shannon and her current beau left this AM. Soon it will back to work and our holiday will pretty much be over....ahhh the glamorous life of an ER doctor. We'll try and be better about keeping up. Until then here's a little recent video action of the little boy.

A Good Night Sleep

I was told by many that it was next to impossible for a breastfed baby to sleep through the night before he was weaned. What I wasn't told was that my baby would be waking up every hour on the hour to either nurse or be comforted. I was going INSANE!! I kept thinking, "Tonight will be the night... maybe he'll sleep for 2 hours in a row.. please, oh please..." Then, like clockwork, in exactly one hour I would hear the familiar whine. "Mommy I neeeeed you." So I drifted through my days in a daze of severe sleep deprivation. Almost five months of little or no sleep. I don't do sleep deprivation well.

I went to the pediatrician (three of them). No help. I went to a naturopath. Again, no help. She wanted me to eliminate more foods out of my diet. I'd already eliminated the four main food groups: cheese, coffee, chocolate and alcohol. So there I was - lost and sleepless. I have to admit it, I was vulnerable. You could sell me almost anything if I thought it would make my baby sleep. I was starting to seriously wonder why no one had approved ambien for infant use. So I was Googling anything related to baby sleep. I ended up buying an online book/program that was guaranteed to work.

Liam cried for about 45 minutes the first night. Thirty the next night. Nine the next. Every night for the last 14 days he has slept 11 - 12 hours in a row at night without waking up to eat, squirm, cry, or move! MAGIC!!!!!!! I met this guy who had been living in my house, Ryan. Oh, then I remembered I was married to him. I watched a movie! A whole movie, not just 20 minutes during feeding. Wow. I'm sooooooooo happy!! Merry Christmas to me...