What a Great Voice!

Here's my Little Man, talking, gooing, cooing, and giggling a little...

This is how most of our conversations go these days! I love listening to his voice. Sometimes he really belts it out there! He even "sings" along in church... what a treat! All the little old ladies come up and tell him how they like to listen to his "sermon". I've noticed that he really has a little boy voice. It's so darn cute! For a "little" guy, he has a lot to say!

Spring Has Sprung!

Little Man had quite a time with the Easter Bunny today! His sister, on the other hand, refused to come within 5 feet of him. It was actually quite humerus to watch her turn the corner, spot the over-sized bunny, and stop dead in her tracks. She didn't turn and run. She didn't cry. She simply stood and stared at the sight before her... a 6 feet tall smiling bunny. Holy cow. Around 18 months, she started to become more cautious and reserved. She wasn't really excited with her encounter with Santa a few months ago, so I didn't expect her to enjoy the Easter Bunny this year. It is what it is. I don't fault her for it, and I'm certainly not going to force her to participate against her will. As obsessed as I am with getting pictures for seemingly every event, I will not ever force one of them to do something they are clearly afraid to do just to get the perfect shot. I did have a little hope that when I gave Liam to the Easter Bunny to hold, Maya would see that it was okay and stand by her brother. Instead, she pointed out a smaller, stuffed bunny, and said, "Ma-moe, ma-moe!" (One more, one more! As in, there's a smaller, nicer looking bunny... maybe I'd like to sit with that one instead!)

After visiting the Easter Bunny and eating a super-yummy lunch at Panera (all with our friends, Melissa, Ashley, and Brendan), we hit the mall playground to let the kiddos burn some energy. Maya was apprehensive about sliding by herself, but she thoroughly enjoyed going with Brendan and Ashley...


Here, she slides alone with Brendan... Ashley has such a great big brother!We left the mall around 1:30pm, and Maya fell asleep for about 30 minutes on the way home (quite the short nap for all the playing she did at the mall)! I actually had to stop at the dry cleaners, where I'm having all but one of my nursing shirts altered, to try on one of the shirts that's in the process of alteration. I pulled into the parking lot and told Maya that if she listens to me and is good, I would stop and get her a chocolate shake on the way home. She agreed, and I laid down the ground rules... "Do not touch ANYTHING." I knew that where we would be standing is tight quarters, and it's completely cluttered with a sewing machine, safety pins, straight pins, papers, thread, and clothes... not a great place for a curious toddler. In fact, some might call it a recipe for disaster. To my great relief, Maya was on her best behavior! I had to remind her a few times not to touch anything, but as soon as I corrected her, she immediately stopped what she was doing. I couldn't have been prouder! When we returned to the car, I thanked her for being so good, told her that made me very happy, and announced that it was time for a chocolate shake! I said to her, "Thank you for listening to Mommy in there!" Maya responded, "No touch!" I smiled and repeated, "That's right! No touch. Good job!" She's so cute and smart! We shared a chocolate malt on the way home... yummy!

After returning home to feed Liam and get some sweatshirts, we took off for our first trip of the year to Dinosaur Park! Brendan taught Maya how to go down the slide, feet first, on her belly, and she spent the majority of her time sliding down the dinosaur slide this way... Wheeee!
Mr. Liam also had his first trip to the park! He really enjoys being outside. He just looks around, completely content! Who's that face, peeking through the window? What a handsome little man!
Papa stopped by to play, and Maya loved walking across these little stepping stones with his help...Maya spent a ton of time running back and forth across this bridge. She loved this bridge last year, too. It's a little bouncy, so it creates a bit of a challenge for her. After a few times across, she had mastered the bouncy, uneven platforms and the sharp incline at each end. What a little adventurer...
This was the first day that felt like spring, and it reminded me of the promise of summer right around the corner. We're all feeling a little cabin fever from being cooped up inside during this long, bitter cold winter. I have a feeling that we'll be spending lots of time at the Dinosaur Park this year! We ended our trip to the park by racing down the slide, side by side. I'm so glad we were able to get outside and play today! We needed it!

April Fool's... NOT!

Liam is giggling because he got his Mommy good today! The first of many times for this day, he spit up a little. By the way, he's quite the spitter, very much UNlike Maya, so I'm struggling to adjust to this perpetual mess! Anyway, I went to wipe the gunk out of his mouth and to my shock, surprise, and (slight) horror, I hit some speed bumps! I couldn't believe what I had just felt, so I pulled back his bottom lip to get a closer look. This is what I found...
Not one, but TWO bottom teeth!! He JUST turned 3 months... are you kidding me?! Well, that sure explained the unusual crankiness for the last day and a half. He's never fussy, so when he was resisting naps and not sleeping very well (which I should clarify as being worse than normal), I wondered what was up. I thought it was his body reacting to getting two bottles of formula in one afternoon. I had made a trip into Grand Rapids, and I was gone through 2 feedings. He's had a bottle of formula here and there, but I don't think he's ever had 2 consecutive bottles. I figured that his belly was having a hard time digesting the food, which would make him fussy. Will actually asked if I thought it could be teeth, which I had wondered myself, but I assured him, much like I had assured myself, that "No, I don't think so. I mean, I guess it COULD be, but he's still really young for that." HA! I couldn't have been more wrong! Poor little guy!
As you can see from this picture, he's forgiven me for allowing him to cut two teeth without the relief of a little Tylenol. Sorry, Buddy! I love this smile. We see this all the time... he's just so happy! I love this particular picture because you can see the crinkle across the bridge of his nose. This little crinkle appears whenever he's really excited. I just adore this smiley boy!!

Maya and Liam's "House"

Maya and Papa built a "house" out of books, and as soon as Liam was done eating, Maya couldn't wait to get him in the house with her. She was cool with him laying in there until his foot touched her knee, then she said, "No, baby!" and pulled her leg away from him, while she was pushing his foot back over with her hand. It's so funny. She thinks he has control of his arms and legs, so when he does something like kick her, she gets all huffy and tells him, "No, baby!", as she grabs his hand or foot and moves it. Liam just looks at her like, "What's your problem?" It's so cute! I LOVE watching them interact, and I know it's going to get even more entertaining as they get older.

By the way... check out their size difference, or lack thereof (keep in mind, his legs are bent)!

Our First Outing as a Family of Four!

We had our very first outing as a family of four today! It felt good to get out and go somewhere... especially with Will. Usually when we go out, it's me and the kids, me with Maya, me with Liam, or just Will and Maya. It was great to have Will home for the day and to go do something together as a family! We headed to Grand Rapids this morning to visit the Frederick Meijer Gardens butterfly exhibit. After our arrival, we had a short delay to get to the exhibit because it was time for my little buddy, Liam, to eat. I settled into the library to nurse, while Will took Maya walking around the main building. Of course when I finished feeding him, he had a massive explosion in his pants, so I gathered up our stuff and went in search of a bathroom. Finally, with Liam was settled into my Kozy Carrier, we entered the butterfly exhibit. Maya was much more fascinated by the butterflies this year, and she kept holding out her hands saying, "Up, up!"... She wanted to pick the butterflies up... that is until they got near her. A couple of times, one flew right by her as she was saying that, and she pulled her hands in so fast! Maybe "picking up" the butterflies wasn't such a good idea after all!

I'm not sure what Liam was able to see. He cuddled with me in the carrier, sucking on one of the fabric straps, while he observed the activity around him. He was quite content to peer out from inside the carrier. I think his favorite place to be is snuggled up with me, so he couldn't care less about what everyone else was doing. We walked around the exhibit for probably 1/2 an hour before Liam and I just couldn't take the heat any longer. The combination of our body heat paired with the 80+ degree room with 100% humidity finally started getting to both of us. Liam was getting warm and sticky, and we needed some A/C stat. Will and Maya took one last trip through the exhibit before joining us in the main lobby. Maya needed just "ma-moe" (one more) time to see the butterflies. There really were several beautiful butterflies of all colors. It's a great exhibit for anyone who hasn't been, check it out!

After the Gardens, we went out for lunch at Noodles & Co. Maya was starving by the time we got there, so while I was putting in our order, she grabbed a dessert out of the basket on the counter. She chose a rice crispy treat bigger than her head (a girl after my own heart) and attempted to eat it through the plastic wrapper. After paying for the treat, I put it in the diaper bag (out of sight, out of mind for Maya), and we joined Will and Liam at the table. Liam was sound asleep in his car seat, so we gave Maya her drink to get her through until our meal arrived. Both Will and I were a little anxious to have Maya out at a restaurant. It had been quite a while since we had taken her out to eat, and we were in no rush since she started her eating shenanigans at home. However, we have reinstated the rules we used to have (pre-Liam) regarding eating only at the table, only strapped into her chair, and if she throws a fit/food/cup, she's done. Since then, she's been doing better at home, so we thought we'd take a chance in public. While we waited for our meal, another family sat down next to us. They had also chosen a rice crispy treat for dessert and sat it in plain sight on the edge of their table, right next to Maya. Great! There goes my "out of sight, out of mind" plan. Maya pointed at it immediately, and I thought, "Here we go...". I told her she could have hers after she ate her noodles, and that was that. She didn't fuss, whine, cry, or throw a fit!Soon our food came, and she ate her macaroni and cheese with her spoon, just like a big girl (most of the time)! It was only after we finished eating that I pulled out the crispy treat, and we all shared it. Yummy! Shortly after that, we packed up and headed for home.

Maya started to fall asleep when we were just about home, so I spent the last 15 minutes of our trip tickling her and making her laugh just to keep her little peepers open. Well, I turned my back for about 30 seconds, and when I turned back around, she was out. So much for that! All in all, it was a great day! It was fun to go on an outing, all of us together, and I was relieved to see how well Maya behaved at a restaurant. It gives me confidence to take her anywhere without having to worry about her acting out. I know she'll have her moments, as all toddlers do, but any apprehension that I had completely disappeared after today's events. I'm so proud of our Little Miss Maya! This is one of my favorite photos of the day. Look at that beautiful little face! Our baby is growing up to be such a wonderful little girl!

I've NEVER Seen That Before!

The only person on the planet with more tenacity than a toddler is the mother of a toddler. Maya has yet to figure that one out. "Battle Nap Time" began today at 10:15am. I took Maya upstairs to let her run around a bit while I put away her clothes that were piled up out in the hallway (lately, laundry finds itself toward the bottom of my to-do list). As she was handing me the hangers, she started to get fussy, and I could tell that she was exhausted. I closed the closet doors, retrieved her paci, blanket, and bear out of her crib, turned on her fish aquarium, and settled into the rocking chair for just a little cuddling before her nap. She was pretty restless. She kept sitting up and trying to get down. She didn't want me to rub her back, hair, or hand. She couldn't get comfortable with her blanket. Finally, after about 20 minutes of this, I told her it was time to lay down in her bed. Well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. As I laid her in her crib, she started bawling, turned over onto her hands and knees, and proceeded to stand up. I tried to lay her back down, but that just made her cry harder. I decided that she would have to work it out herself, so I walked out of the room. Wrong answer. She rushed to the corner of her crib and cried her eyes out.

Now, let me explain why I didn't just rush in there and rescue her... While I do not believe in letting a baby or child "cry it out", I do believe that families are much better off when children are able to soothe themselves to sleep. Since Liam has been born (and especially since Maya's been sick these last few days), we have all let things slide with her that we would have never let her get away with pre-Liam. Call it guilt. I'd agree. Whatever the cause, it's started us on a slippery slope down a path of absolute destruction. I feel like if we don't buckle down and reinstate a schedule and rules, our household will be ran be a two year old. That's unacceptable, in my opinion. So while the ensuing battle may seem petty, it was the first step in regaining my authority.

I let her cry for about 10 minutes, and when I couldn't stand her crying out, "Mama!" over and over again, I returned to her room. She immediately put up her hands and pointed to the rocking chair. "Rock! Rock!" she sobbed. I sat down in the chair with her to rock and sing. After about 5 minutes, she was just about to fall asleep, so I picked her up and made a move to the crib. As soon as she touched the mattress, she lost her mind again. I told her that it was nap time and she needed to lay down. The sobbing intensified, and I walked out. She carried on and on, and eventually, I gave in again. As you can see, no matter how stern I try to be, I'm really a softy. I'm easily swayed by my baby crying, "Mama! Mama!" It's heart wrenching. I went back to her room for the third time, and she began shouting, "Waher, waher!" (Water, water) I couldn't deny her request for water, so I left her in her crib while I retrieved water from the bathroom. She gulped it down and requested to rock again. I told her we were done rocking, and she needed to lay down to rest. That is definitely NOT what she was trying to hear. She started screaming and jumping up and down in her bed. I turned around and walked out. This time I was determined not to return. Every time I went back to her bedside and didn't get her out of bed, it just escalated the situation. I went downstairs and just sat and listened. She cried and screamed and shouted, "Mama!" I wanted to cry.

Finally, silence. I got up and rushed to the monitor. I couldn't believe she had finally, finally settled down. What I saw on the monitor was quite a sight. Maya was still standing in the corner of her crib. She had her blanket balled up on the top of the railing, her head resting on top of it, her hands holding onto the rail. As I watched her stand there, I wondered why she had stopped crying. Not that it was a bad thing, I just wondered why she had given up. Soon I got my answer...

As she leaned on her rail, about every 20 seconds or so, her little knees would give out on her. Instinctively, she would quickly straighten her legs, not ever moving the top half of her body. It took me a minute to figure it out, but soon I realized, SHE WAS SOUND ASLEEP!! I could not believe it! In addition to her knees buckling, her blanket was slowly sliding toward the other side of her bed, so every couple of minutes, she had to take a small step to the side to keep from falling over like a tree! It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen!! I have seen some pretty crazy things, but I have NEVER seen somebody sleep in a standing position! After about 20 minutes of this, she reached the other end of her bed, at which point she woke up. She sat down in her bed and just started chatting away, like she just woke up from the most restful slumber. It was CRAZY! I decided I would go along with the escapade. I went upstairs to get her out of bed and said, "Did you have a good nap?" She answered, "Yeah!" Okay, whatever! The 20-minute-standing-power nap was all she needed. She was happy as a lark and ready to go have lunch!

Later that day, I laid her down for another (more effective) nap, and I didn't quite know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, she went down without a fight or fuss. I read a couple of books, rocked for about 5 minutes, and she laid right down. She was exhausted. In retrospect, other than her just flat out being a stubborn toddler, I wonder if that was the ultimate indication that she is done with the morning nap. From now on, I'm ditching the morning nap, and we'll see how she does! I've said it before, and I'll say it again... she never ceases to amaze me!!

Maya's First Online Chat!

Maya had her very first online chat today with her Grandma Cindy ("mam-maw"). She thought it was pretty awesome and spent a lot of time just standing there, smiling. It was pretty cute...

They gave lots of kisses, looked at a bouquet of flowers and practiced colors, played peek-a-boo, waved, and Maya showed off her little Dora doll and some mail. Once she realized she could see herself, she spent quite a bit of time talking to her own little picture on the screen. Toward the end of the conversation, she even told Mom that she had pooped! Just what "mam-maw" wanted to hear! She had a great time, standing in her little tower, talking away! We'll be chatting online quite a bit, I think... if only Mom could babysit and change diapers over the internet... that would be sweet!