Lesson #30 God is in the Details

I am working on the big 1 year birthday post- it is lengthy with lots of pictures, so you'll have to wait a little longer.  But while I have been focusing on that post, I realized that I should probably post some of the milestones that Liam has been reaching lately.  I want to make sure to remember the nuances of his life- not just the big celebrations. 

EATING

Our boy is a healthy eater.  He has been eating rice cereal since 5 months, then baby food at 6 months and by 9 months he was pretty much eating whatever we ate with very few exceptions.  Until last Thursday night (just one day after his 1st birthday), we had never found anything he didn't like.  And then it happened.  We were sitting at Waldo Pizza and had made a plate forLiam from the salad bar.  As always, he gobbled the egg whites with gusto, he snarfed down the pasta salad, he even seemed to enjoy the brocolli. 

And then we gave him a beet.  He spit it out.

We gave him another one.  He spit that one out too.

I should be upset that he refused to eat something.  But it was a beet.  I hate beets.  So I think I can live with it.  Uncle Michael (Barr) believes he can turn him around with his amazing beet culinary skills.  He probably can- Michael could make dirt taste good.

While in general he is not too discrimatory when it comes to food, he does have favorite restaurants.  On Saturday mornings, he likes to come to First Watch, hang out with the ladies, listen to their joys and woes, and of course, eat English muffins.

Salty Iguana in Corinth is a huge favorite of his because of the colorful walls, loads of ceiling fans and, of course, their black bean burritos.

Sunday post morning nap lunch is usually dim sum at Bo Lings.  He likes to share with Daddy.  Sharing is a new development and pretty adorable.

He also loves to share his veggie straws.

But I think the best thing about his eating habits right now is that he is totally open to trying new things.  He is so much better than I am at that- he hasn't been tainted by many things that he thinks are "gross" or "yucky" yet.  Just the other night our friends, The Sinklers, had us over for a dinner party.  Everyone was in a great mood since KU had just beat MU in overtime at Allen Field House and we were celebrating the win with many cocktails.  Anyway, Daron Sinkler is a master BBQ-er and has even won local BBQ contests.  He smoked ribs for hours that day and they literally fell off the bone.  So as we are drinking wine and lingering after the meal at the table, I noticed that Liam had become very quiet next to me.  This is why.

Ryan had give n him a bone to gnaw on and he was in Heaven.  If you put a little makeup on him and some painted nails, he could be mistaken for Mimi.  Have I told you about how my mother LOVES to gnaw on bones?  She used to make pork chops for us, not have any of them herself, and just gnaw on all our scraps when we were finished.  True story.  He must take after his grandma.

SLEEP

Liam's sleep schedule is pretty set these days.  I thank God every day that in just over a year, he has always been a good sleeper.  I know this will probably change.  So I am going to relish it now while I can.

The biggest change I can think of in regards to sleep habits is that he rarely lets us snuggle and sleep with him.  He is squirmier than he used to be so the days of him falling asleep in my arms to cozy up for a long nap are close to over.  Some nights if he is really tired, I get to hold him while he's sleeping.  Those moments are magical.

Liam sleeps until  6:45am - 7:30 am most mornings. Sometimes it will be until 8am if we're lucky.  Just the other day when Mimi was watching him, he was awake early and frustrated because he had thrown all his binkies out and there is still quite a dependency on them for him to fall asleep.  Knowing said binkies were on the ground by his crib, Mimi stealthily crawled into his room and tossed them back into the crib.  He saw her, cried for a minute, put one of the binkies in his mouth and fell back asleep until almost 8:30.  Well done Mimi.

After he is up for the day, he plays, takes very little of his bottle (as I write this, we are beginning to exchange his formula for whole, organic milk), and plays some more.  Mornings are fun!  Then he eats breakfast, frequently consisiting of some fruit, a granola bar and perhaps an egg or some toast, depending on the day and what's in the fridge.  Breakfast and playing are apparently exhausting because he takes a morning nap around 9:30 that lasts a good hour and a half usually.

Then he plays, eats lunch (sometimes out so I can meet them), plays some more or goes for a walk in his stroller, and then is exhausted again so he gets a bottle and goes down for his afternoon nap around 2:30.  This one can last between an hour and half to just over two hours.  Ryan and I tend to get home from work during this nap or right at the end so we can enjoy a couple hours with him before it's time for bed once again.  We eat dinner together because Ryan and I are big believers in "he eats what we eat", then it's bath time, a book (if he sits still long enough for one), and a bottle then bed.  He is usually asleep by 7:30pm. 

I call him Rip Van Flurry.  The kid can sleep.

PLAYTIME & FRIENDSHIPS

Playtime is best spent in the mornings, footie pajamas still on, awaiting breakfast.  Putting toys "in" things and taking toys "out" of things is really big right now.  This simple toy of colorful rings is an oldie but a goody.

Liam loves to bang on things.  I figured he would- all 3 of the Flurry boy cousins love to as well.  He goes to town, banging anything he can.  His favorites these days include his little wood hammer.  Unfortunately, he uses it less on the toy it came with and more on the glass tabletop.  Sometimes he uses the remote controls to bang on things as well... he loves remote controls.  Fortunately for us, Aunt Nancy got him a toy remote control that counts and sings and does far more interesting things than turning the volume and channels on the TV. 

Sometimes he just stands by the table, hoping the remote control will magically appear from behind my back or under my butt, wherever I have chosen to hide it.  By the way, I love this picture.  His Puma sweatpants pulled up over his gut reminds me of Tony Soprano.

After saying "no, no, no" too many times to count as he is banging things loudly on the glass-topped coffee table, I decided to just embrace it.  I got him a drum set.

Okay, now while you are all rolling your eyes as if I am CRAZY to bring such a loud instrument into the house, you should know a few things...

1.  It was free.  A student of mine by the name of Ryan Cooney donated it to our family.

2.  It is tiny.  Really, it's the perfect size for him.

3.  It will be kept downstairs after the novelty wears off, to be used on "special" occasions.

4.  With four older boy cousins, I see a rock band in our future.

5.  Let's face it- drummers are cool.  The girls are gonna love him!

Because of the crazy, unseasonably warm February weather (although as I write this, it is actually snowing outside), we have visited the playground recently.  And Liam actually gets out of the stroller and plays on the equipment.

Well, doesn't actually play on it.  More like bends over it and picks up leaves.

Sometimes he ventures onto the merry-go-round.  But really only for photo opps with Mimi.

We hope to spend a lot more time on the playground in the weeks (and I suppose years) to come.

Special days are spent with cousins and friends.  Miss Vivienne Scarlett Lillian Lukas is one of them.  Sometimes she invites Liam over to play in her play room, have tea parties with her, and even snuggle up in her favorite chair for hugs and kisses.

ROUTINES, QUIRKS, and HABITS

Liam's always been a social guy, so he likes to get out and about.  Almost every weekend involves a trip to House Depot with Daddy.  This one was not sexy- we were buying a toilet.

He has also discovered a love for the grocery store.  Especially Price Chopper because they have car carts.  Beep beep... look out!

Visiting SM South and SM West is always fun too.  His daddy is a Raider.  His mommy is a Viking.  But he will be a Lancer.  We are a multi-cultural family. 

We dress him in green and gold for South games and black and gold for West games.

But hanging out in the classroom, writing in his journal, is probably what he enjoys most about school.

Fortunately, Liam loves to "help" around the house.  I was given bathroom duty as one of my chores growing up.  I hated it.  I mean really hated it.  But Liam is apparently just fine with it.  Thank God.

Recently he has taken to crawling on top of the dishwasher door when it's open and sitting there.  Soon I hope he actually can help with the dishes, but it's cute for now.  Unless the dishes are dirty- and then it's just gross.

Finally, one of my favorite habits of Liam's is the same as his daddy- being outside whenever they possibly can.  It is not unusual for me to arrive home to a scene like this.

I am excited to post about Liam's big 1st birthday celebration.  But when I reflect on his first year of life, I realize that God is in the details.  Lesson well learned.