Oh, Croup!

Wednesday morning this little baby woke up barking like a seal. "Aurgh, aurgh, aurgh!"

Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

(No, wait - that's not right...)

The doctor actually said that he likely has the croup virus.

So Liam has been waking up coughing during the night. We've been bringing him into our bed to sleep which is easier on Mommy when he wakes up.

It doesn't seem to slow him down during the day, except that he is a little more clingy and wants to nurse more often. Which is fine! It's totally fine... Mommy just has to take a moment to remember why he needs her more.

But it is nearly 10:30pm now, and Liam has been sleeping for about 2 solid hours. No waking up, no coughing... and two good naps today! Hopefully this means that his body his healing and he'll be all better soon!

Hot Cars and Cold Drinks

Not only did Liam go to his first Pinewood Derby today, but he went to TWO Pinewood Derbies today. Only 6 more years and he can have a derby car of his own.

"Ooh......look.......cars....."

At the first derby, there was even lunch. After a few grapes and some cheese, Liam decided that his car was more tasty than the food. Mommy liked the cookies, but I guess her tastes just aren't as refined as Liam's........

"MMM.......the '70 is a good vintage, but not as delightful as the '68"

FunTown - Youngstown, Ohio

Last weekend Liam and Daddy went with Mommy to Youngstown, Ohio, to visit a steel factory. On a suggestion from one of our hosts we visited the MALL. The Youngstown mall has three things (only one of which was recommended):

1) A big aquarium with some really cool fish: Leopard sharks, clown fish, lion fish, angelfish... Mommy and Daddy liked watching the fish, but Liam seemed more interested in watching the other kiddos.

2) A hoodie infestation. (Name that movie!) We got to see several kids get kicked out of the mall. Where are these kids' parents!?

3) FunTown! Although our host didn't mention it, this is where we spent the most time. FunTown is a play area just for toddlers, with soft slides and toys to climb on.


Liam made friends with a little curly-headed boy. They pulled on each other's shirts and squealed in each other's faces. They followed each other around and pushed each other out the way to play on toys.

Oh, and he went down his first slide ever.

10 Months

Since there are 33 minutes left of Liam's 10-month birthday, maybe we should post his numbers?

We went to the pediatrician last week for his 9-month check-up... about a month late. Oh well!

Weight: 21 pounds, 6 oz (50%)
Length: 28-1/2 inches (50%)
Head circumference: 46cm (50-75%)

When he came home from the hospital he had lost weight. He quickly gained it back and was a lump. Now he is average in almost every way. Except for...

Cuteness: Off the charts!


(Whew - 25 minutes to spare!)

On the Other Hand...

You know, really this weaning THING isn't so bad. A little uncomfortable sometimes (Moms, you know what that means!), but it is ok that the baby is growing up.

And now that Mommy can get away from the baby, just think of the possibilities!...

1) Deer hunting - Mommy can spend the whole day out on the stand and bring home some meat for the family.

2) Date night - What's that?

3) Traveling for work - Mommy can leave Daddy and Liam at home to have a boys' weekend while Mommy visits the plant.

4) Traveling for fun - Mommy can run away to visit Paris for a week with all the money she's earning.

5) What would YOU do?

Beginning of the End

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Do you know what happened this weekend? This baby hung out with Daddy and went 6 hours without nursing.

Do you know what happened today? This baby hung out with Mommy and went 9 hours without nursing.

Could this possibly be the beginning of some self-weaning? Mommy is not ready for this.

Don't get me wrong, it was rough back when Liam was nursing every 2-3 hours when he first came home with us. Some days Mommy just wanted to cry, and some days she actually did. Six straight hours of comfort nursing... in the middle of the night... because no one told us there was such a thing as comfort nursing? That was quite possibly the low-point of our time together.

But. BUT. Since then it has been nice. It has been a nice little quiet time to bond and to smile at each other. To listen to each other breathe. To smooth down that funny cowlick that just won't stay down.

Besides, do you know what happens when nursing ends? Well, if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you. But Mommy is not looking forward to it.

A Blast From the Past

Liam and Mommy were watching old videos of Liam at lunch today and found this gem:

What a hunk! (Or is it chunk?)