One year ago, Today

By Bill

Has it really been a year?

A year since Savannah was almost delerious with pain, sleep deprivation and exhaustion? A year since I passed a newborn Liam to his mother's arms at 2:14 a.m. on a Wednesday morning? A year since I watched a nurse put on his first diaper, weigh him in at 7 pounds 6 ounces, and measure him at 19.5 inches? A year since he slept all the way home from the hospital wrapped in a tiny blanket and nearly swallowed up by his car seat?

It indeed has been a year since that clear, cool first day of Spring, 2007. A year of watching Liam, whom we affectionately call The Little Guy, go from a nearly motionless, fragile, spindly newborn to a dynamic child who can really no longer be called a baby.

He is a child who likes to wrestle while laughing uncontrollably, a child who likes to walk - yes, walk - around the house while brushing his five little teeth, and sometimes the dog's teeth. A child that carefully feeds himself a seemingly endless mountain of peas one by one by one with hilarious precision.

A child that has captured our hearts as he rolls around in bed at night while asleep, always making sure he is touching mom or dad with a hand, foot or his head.

What a year it has been. A year of first smiles, first laughs, first steps, first teeth, first solid foods, first colds, first shoes and first rides on the merry-go-round at the park.

Even today, on his birthday, he literally took more steps away from babyhood. In the morning, mom said he got off the bed (which he has been able to do for months) and walked out of the bedroom instead of crawling. Given a baby xylophone by his Nana and Pa Roberson, he immediately picked up the little wooden mallet and hammered out a tune. At the local burger joint, he seemed genuinely slighted that he was not offered ketchup for his small alotment of birthday french fires. And when given ketchup, he delicately dipped a fry in the red sauce, took a taste, and dipped it in again.

It's been a great year, full of learning by both Liam and his parents. I could go on for pages, but mostly I want to say thank you to his family, both those in Oregon and in Texas - and California, too. Thanks for all the support, advice, babysitting time, patience and most of all, love.

Liam, and you, mean the world to us.

Happy Birthday, my son. And many, many, many more.

Love, Daddy



and now....

I wanna be like my BIG brother!

In the tub the other day, Liam fashioned himself a mohawk and demanded loud punk rock music. We are wondering where he gets it?

Lunch Mouth

I think Liam's Nana, Mary Alice, coined the phrase. We were talking about how much he loves to eat and she said, "He is such a little lunch mouth!"

So true!

Liam loves food of all kinds and now that he is able to feed himself pretty much everything, he eats what we eat. We are committed to an organic, health-focused diet. Some of his favorites are peas, carrots, rutabagas, potatoes, any type of bean, meat (like ground beef or turkey), and pizza.

Yep, pizza. Well, he had his first slice (or should I say slices) of plain cheese pizza the other day and snarfled it with relish. He also slept through the night so seems like it stuck to his ribs mighty fine! I was very hesitant to introduce wheat and dairy with my family history of food allergies, but it seems that he got Bill's constitution and can eat it all!

Little lunch mouth is also talking more and more. Last night he started saying "Issy" when he gives kisses. He has said mini sentences like, "No more," or "Hi Papa (Mama) (Ella)." He says "Up," "Down," and barks when you ask him what doggies say. Everyday is a new adventure in fun with this little guy or TLG (the little guy) as we sometimes call him.

Thanks for keeping up with us and we look forward to his first birthday in only three weeks!