May 5, 2010: big news, Bigger News, BIGGEST NEWS!!

Okay I know...it's been waaay too long. But I do have a good excuse! Well three good excuses actually :) So what have we been up to? (PS-I finally figured out how to hyperlink so look for them throughout the blog if you're interested...)

big news: I got a job!

Just part-time, which is perfect, at a pediatric office. It's been great seeing patients again and realizing I haven't forgotten everything I learned. The office staff has been great and Liam seems to be adjusting well to me going back to work. His new nannies are 'Tachy (Rachy) and Mal! He spends those days playing with Presley or getting spoiled by Mal...yeah, I think he'll be just fine.

Bigger News: We bought a house!

We finally closed on our new house last month! It's a spec home in a newer, growing neighborhood and we are so excited to finally be settling here for good. The location is great and Liam seems to be thrilled about it as well. We haven't moved in yet, but as soon as we pull in the neighborhood he starts yelling "new house!" and knows exactly where we are going. He loves to run through the house and hide in the closets. He knows exactly where his room is...

I can't wait to start decorating his first "big boy" room! More pictures to come as we get set up.

BIGGEST NEWS: Well, actually Liam will tell you...

Hmmm, Liam, we can't read your shirt...what are you trying to say??

WHAT? You are going to be a big brother?? Obviously you need a little time to adjust to the news...you've got a few months, I'm sure you'll come around :)

Even though I know Liam doesn't exactly understand, we talk about the baby all the time. He points to my tummy and we debate whether he will have a "baby bruder" or "baby sista"...he changes his mind daily :) Feel free to make your guess on our blog poll!

And now....meet Baby Ziggy! (8 week ultrasound)
Well if you followed this blog since the beginning you know that Liam was "baby doo" before he was born. I love womb names because I hate referring to "the baby" or "it" or "he/she" for 9 months...and it usually takes me a while to pick a name. So when I told my sisters on our girls' trip to Austin that I was pregnant, they kept calling the baby "zygote" because it was so early in the pregnancy (although not technically at the zygote stage, if we are being medically correct, but anyway). I was not fond of that name, but when it got shortened to "ziggy" I guess it stuck. Ziggy has already started to make his/her presence known. This pregnancy has been a little different, but considering last time was almost perfect, I guess I knew I was due a "normal" pregnancy this time. I've been so sick (Liam knows when I run to the bathroom it's because "mama spit" in the toilet...sorry TMI), so tired (we're talking days...okay weeks on the couch), and so crabby (thank you family for putting up with the first few weeks when I was mad at the world!) The differences in this pregnancy and the last have also made alot of the family believe that ziggy is a girl. The first heartbeat we got was 127 at 8 weeks and the second was 174 at 12 weeks...who knows?? I would love a boy because little brothers would be so cute, but I would also love to get my girl now...we'll def find out so stay posted!

Well, if that wasn't enough...here's a glimpse at some of the other things we've been up to the past 2 months!

Liam continues to grow into such a sweet, smart little boy. He is speaking so well and even moving away from some of his baby talk. Instead of how he used to say "Dada, are you?" he now says "Dada, where are you?". And he used to say "Knee hurt, kiss 'ees one" he now says "Kiss thees one". He has also started to become quite opinionated. He def says no to certain questions, but he doesn't just say no to say it...he knows exactly how to use it. I will ask him if he wants turkey for lunch and he'll say "no". Does he want ham instead? "Yes!" I have to be careful now about giving him choices when I can, and telling him what he has to do when there's no choice involved. So far we haven't had any rebellions, but I'm sure that will come :)

He can say his alphabet, count from 1-20 (although for a while he wouldn't say the numbers 15,16,17...but now he says them all so well! ), and knows all his colors. He even started counting things...like the stairs as he climbs them, his fingers, his toes, his cars, the people in the room, etc. It's so cool to see him relating his numbers with the skill of actually being able to count. He also can sing two songs, other than the alphabet: "Down by the Bay" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". (Remember, this is the song that Nick sang to my belly and still sings to Liam every night before bed...it has lots of special significance for my boys!) It is probably a little hard to understand if you don't know the songs well because he doesn't get all the words, but def enough that you can figure it out. It's literally one of the cutest things I've EVER seen! (Videos of all this to come!) He is so bright and I hope his love of learning continues throughout his life.

He remembers everything so you have to be careful about what you say and promise around him. He plays so well with his toys, like making his cars crash and go up the elevator and down the ramp. He loves his trains and building the tracks. He has a doctor kit and looks in my ear, listens to my heart, and gives me shots. He also plays with his workbench and hammers his nails and uses his wrench and screwdriver on his screws. I love that he really plays with his toys and is starting to use his imagination. He's also learning to play Memory. He does pretty good with four or six cards to pair up.

Liam has also been taking swim classes with baby Pres and his friends Jackson, Michael, Mia, and Jackson. I couldn't make his first two classes, so Alex took him. He's done really well so far...kicking, floating, going under...we can't wait for this summer! Speaking of those swim friends, Liam and I have the most wonderful playgroup. These moms have been such a source of support for me, especially over the past few months. Liam just adores his friends and looks forward to all our playdates with them. Here are a few pics with them...

Alison and Jackson hosted us all for an Easter Egg Hunt. Liam was very intense about hunting eggs and I actually had to keep throwing some back so other kids would have some eggs to find!

Here is a picture of our whole group! Lori/Michael, me/Liam, Alison/Jackson, Daphne/Davey, Lara/Jackson, Meredith/Addison, Irene/Ari, Melissa/Michael, and Kristy/James. (Sorry it's kind of blurry)

Here's another playdate where the boys all played in Michael's new water table...Yes, of course we had to get one afterwards because he loved it so much!Easter weekend was lots of fun and very busy. We dyed Easter eggs with Rach and Pres...Liz and Drew came to visit from LA!! We had an awesome weekend going out with them and Kate like we haven't in a long time...restaurants, bars, Joe T.'s, Ft. Worth Stockyard, and Billy Bob's...truly a Texas experience.Easter! After those late nights partying, ziggy and I were pretty wiped. We still had fun opening Easter baskets and tried to get some cute family pics.
Although it's finally warmed up, here is a cute photo of Liam snuggled on the couch watching "trains" (Chuggington) in the morning.During this same cold spell, we decided to take Liam back to the indoor bounce house. Man he LOVES this place. I love how brave they are being and the look on their faces as they go down the slide!

Liam also has had lots of fun visits from Aunt Linds and Grandma Debbie. Grandma somehow got away without any pics but here are some cute ones of Liam and his godmother.

Liam has enjoyed playing outside with his Daddy and Rachy, Cam, and Pres at their park...
Liam also went to his first Rangers game! It was their pre-season game at the Rough Riders stadium. Liam loves watching the Rangers on TV and he's always cheering "Go Murph" for Daddy's best friend. He enjoyed the game in person, but I think he liked the ice cream more :)
As I mentioned Liam loves playing with his Matchbox cars. Grandma Debbie started his collection with 5 cars and now he has almost 20! He has a great little track that he takes cars up the elevator and pushes them down the "slide" (ramp). At first we were hiding his cars from Presley because of the small pieces but we can't keep her away! They will both stand at the track pushing cars down the ramp over and over again...when they aren't crashing them. We went to Baskin Robbins for the 31 cent scoop night with Mal, Rach, and Pres. Liam was way too busy eating to look up for a picture! Mal and Dal have been teaching Liam 'ring around the rosy'...Liam and I had a "pitnit" (picnic) in the car one morning. We had already eaten breakfast but ziggy was craving some Burger King and Liam benefited from this with some french toast sticks! I think he was more excited to be sitting next to me in the front seat of the car while we ate.Presley celebrated her 1st birthday 2 weeks ago!! Liam gave her a ball pit just like he has which was a big hit. She was such a cute birthday girl.Liam and Presley had a fun playground photoshoot with my friend Erin. Liam is not the easiest subject (is any toddler?!) but she managed to get some really sweet ones that capture his personality.How sweet are these cousins?? We asked him to give Pres a hug but he went in for the kiss :)

Okay I promise not to go that long again without blogging. Videos to come next! Happy Birthday Grannie, we had your meatloaf tonight and Happy Birthday (tomorrow) to Liam's Aunt Britty, can't wait to see you next month!