Playing Catch Up!

It seems that I always think about needing to blog, but never quite do it. Since our last post, we have celebrated Mike's first father's day. We celebrated by going out to breakfast in Ellsworth, a town about 30 minutes from us. On our way home, we stopped by a field of lupine to catch some pics of Liam. The lupine blooms for such a small window of time but it is so beautiful while it is in bloom. You really can't beat fields of purple and pink. Liam seemed to really like the lupine but also seemed to want to try to eat the flowers.








Today, Liam and I joined our friend Natalie and her daughter Anouk for a trip to Birdsacre, a sanctuary in Ellsworth. None of us had been there before and it was really amazing! The are about 200 acres of per served land right in the heart of Ellsworth. The sanctuary has restored the childhood home of Cordelia Stanwood who was an ornithologist and photographer in the early to mid 1900's. In addition to being able to tour the home you can walk the trails on the 200 acres and enjoy the tranquility that you wouldn't expect to find so close to town. Birdsacre also takes in injured birds so Liam got to see many owls and hawks. It was a beautiful day and a fantastic discovery.

As many of you may remember, Liam will be turning one on Friday! It hardly seems possible that so much time has already gone by. So, here is the lowdown on Liam at almost one. He isn't walking yet but cruises around on the furniture constantly. He will let go and stand for a few seconds but will eventually ease himself to the floor. He is the fastest crawler around, really. He still only has two teeth, we are getting a little worried that the rest of his teeth will never come in. Perhaps we will get him dentures for his first birthday. He pretty much will eat anything so long as he is in control of getting the food to his mouth. He loves fresh fruit, kalamata olives, tofu, avocado, pita bread w/ or w/out humus and cheerios. His favorite books are Hop on Pop (still), The Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. The only time he sits still is when we are reading, it is amazing. His favorite song is No Bad News by Patty Griffin. He dances to it every time. He already loves folk music, just like Mom and Dad.

We are heading to Rehoboth Beach to meet up with the Dunlap side of the family Friday after Mike gets off work. We are so excited to see everyone and to introduce Liam to a warm section of ocean, hot sand and real waves!

Closing in on the big day

We had a lot of fun with Liam in May during this large gulf between posts. I promise we weren't sitting around at home learning the abacus or something. Grampy McKernan came up for Memorial Day weekend and helped us get a huge start on the summer project (I hope it doesn't last all summer) to paint the outside of the house. I'm continuing to plug away on the weekends and after work.

Liam is excited because he has a new bike trailer in which to zip around, attached like a little wagon to my bike. A few Sundays ago, he was out on the Park loop road for about three hours - there was a lot of stopping - and he did great. He also enjoyed the carriage roads, which are gravelly and a little bumpy, and more for mountain or cross bikes than for roadies.

While I was painting, Tara took Liam and had with some friends a lovely picnic at the Wonderland area in Acadia National Park. This spot has somewhat flat granite blocks, which make up the beach, providing plenty of space for little 11 month olds to crawl around.



And speaking of 11 months old, we're getting close to the big day! It's just crazy how much he has changed in just 12 months. The two big things right now are learning how to stand and learning how to feed himself. Liam is now to the point where he would rather feed himself than be fed by Tara or me. In fact, when we approach with a spoon full of something pureed, he will try to whack it away with some baby jujitsu move. It's cute at first, but can be a little trying. I have learned to be wicked fast and to anticipate his moves, so I'm pretty good at feeding despite his defensive moves. He has also recently learned that food can be thrown (as he tests his parents' will and ability to modify his behavior). Food throwing was the next logical step after he mastered the art of food smashing - a surefire sign that Liam is full. "Nothing else can fit in my stomach, so whatever is left...it must be destroyed."

Anyway, the self-feeding works pretty well when the food is banana or avocado or Cheerios, etc. Not so much when it's puree sweet potato, squash, blueberry. You get the idea. I think we're done with purees and might instead opt for thick-cut steamed veggies. I'll have to try that this week to see how he fares. However, I suppose he has to learn how to use a spoon eventually.



Liam is starting to stand a little bit. It usually happens when he's pulled himself up onto something. Before he realizes what he's doing, he's been standing for 5-7 seconds, completely unsupported. Still haven't been able to capture it on film, as much as I'd like to have record of this milestone.