Snow Day!

I had my first snow day of the season. Mike and I can't remember the last time we had snow up here before Christmas. We kept hearing that a big storm was coming our way but we were being pessimistic about the possibility of us really getting snow. Low and behold, I got a call around 5:40 saying that school was canceled. It was so much fun when Liam woke up to take him to the window and let him see the snowy world outside. He was pretty mystified. He just stood with his head pressed to the window for the longest time. We got a call from Angie asking if we wanted to take a snow day trip to the pool. Liam and I bundled up and headed to meet Angie,Sammy, Eliza (and one of Eliza's friends), Natalie and Anouk for a little swim. All of the kids had a blast. Liam swam forever and was having such a ball. We were at the pool for close to two hours and by the time we got home Liam was exhausted. I tried giving him lunch but you can see by the posted video that he was just a bit too tuckered out for that.


Mike came home from work early. He reported that the lab was a bit like a ghost town on such a stormy day. When Mike came home, we all headed out for a little snowy play. Liam had fun with some neighborhood kids. He was a big fan of the snow and was pretty excited to be playing with the big kids.

Finally, Mike worked hard all fall to get the outside of our house looking good. I posted some pictures so you can see the fruits of his labor. Looks great, especially with the snow.

A few firsts

What, we haven't posted in over a week?! Lots to catch up on, then. It's been an exciting here during the last few days - Liam has had several exciting firsts which I'm pleased to report. Last Friday, Tara and I woke up around 6 am feeling remarkably refreshed, downright energized, even. We both knew what had just happened - Liam had slept through the night for the first time in his life. A full 11 hours of sleep from 7 pm to 6 am! I'm sure he woke up once or twice during the night, but his waking time must have been fleeting b/c neither of us heard a peep. He woke up naturally at 6 am, and had a really great and very happy day. We tried to figure out what we did the night before and nothing unusual popped out - other than I made what I thought was a radical and dicey choice - to put him down without the aid of his pacifier. It worked, he went down quietly, but I doubt that was the reason he slept all night. We didn't get our hopes up for a repeat performance, which is good, as he is now back to getting up once in the middle of the night and once ~4 am. Not to bad, considering other stories I've heard, but sleeping through the night felt REALLY good on Friday morning.

The other exciting first is Liam learning how to clap. T and I have been working on clapping for a while now, demonstrating and helping him move his hands in a clapping motion. Then out of the blue as I was getting him into his car seat on Friday morning, I thought I spotted a rough looking 'clap'. I stopped, clapped broadly, and he did it again once or twice. I called Tara down and we both tried to get him to clap a few more times, which he did with a big smile. It was a great way to start the day. We've been clapping all weekend - Tara and I will clap, we'll look at him and say 'your turn!', and then he'll clap 3 or 4 times. Sometimes he'll miss wildly, which is cute, but so far this seems to be the first discrete thing we've taught him - and, the 'your turn' command seems to be the first direct response he's made to a verbal command other than 'where's daddy', 'where's mommy'. The other cool interaction is when he's lying on his back and I put two fingers in front of his hands, he will grab my fingers and sit or stand up from lying flat (depending on how much I pull him).

The final big event of the last several days was a short XC ski trip yesterday afternoon. MDI finally got some decent snow this weekend, so T, Liam and I headed to Jordan Pond, which is one of our favorite places to XC ski. Before we left I had to apply some new kick wax appropriate to the temperature. People who have skied with us before will tell you that I have a bad track record in picking the right kick wax. Even with all the wax wizards and temperature guides, I always seem to pick the wrong one. ANYWAY, with the skis freshly waxed, we were on our way. Snow conditions weren't great so we picked short 1+ mile loop just to test things out. Given the Bjorn and the baby backpack, we picked the Bjorn for Liam, and I strapped him on my chest. Even as we set off, we knew the conditions weren't ideal. The snow was a little icy and it was wicked fast. Fast - like I wish my XC skis had metal edges and fixed heels fast. I think it was on the first decent - and this is a decent so gradual it would be pretty boring on sled - that I fell. I fell like I was sliding into home (but much less dramatic), and landed on my side cradling Liam into his Bjorn. So Liam was fine - he was very safe and didn't get upset at all - so we kept going. As it happens I fell like this three times in total, all on account of the fast icy snow, my skittishness with Liam, and the inability of my stupid skis to steer or stop like downhill skis. On the third fall, Liam started to cry, so I figured that was enough sking for one day. I walked back with Liam in his Bjorn and skis over my shoulder. The snow was so slick and my wax job so bad, that the pace of my walk was much faster than the pace of Tara on skis. So she walked too. We got back to the car, not willing to call it a day. We surveilled the local sledding hill, and ultimately decided on something a bit more mellow for a Sunday afternoon in February... Oh, and for future ski outing swith Liam (least XC skiing), we could really use one of these (the Chariot would be fine, thanks).

In which Liam plays in the snow

Once upon a time there was a very cute little boy named Liam. Now Liam had never seen snow before. To everyone's delight the streets of Bar Harbor, Maine were covered in snow when they greeted Friday morning. Friday was a blustery day, not at all the type of day that small boys should be out playing in the snow. So dear little Liam had to wait until Saturday morning to truly experience his first snow fall. Saturday morning finally came and little Liam got suited up for his outside adventure. On went his long johns and warm socks. Then came his Kelty snowsuit and finally his hat. Liam and his mom and dad then went right out to their yard to play. First they made some snow angels. Liam wasn't so sure about that but he played along anyway. Next they made some snowballs. Liam even threw one at his daddy. Finally, Liam and Daddy played the game in which Liam is thrown into the air and his daddy catches him. It was so much fun he just couldn't stop giggling. As with all good things, the fun had to end. So Liam and his mommy and daddy went back inside to sit by the tree. Liam had another idea though. He thought a nap was a much better option after so much fun.

First Tree and a visit to Santa!

On Friday, Liam, Emma, Carolyn and I took a trip to see Santa. The rec center in Soutwest Harbor had free pictures with Santa. The line once we got there was pretty long but Liam slept almost the entire time. I thought for sure that he would have a fit and would not grace us with one of his adorable smiles. I was so wrong though. He got to Santa and his face lit up. I didn't have our camera as it was a last minute decision to see Santa. Once I get the picture from the Rec center or Carolyn, I will be sure to post the picture. I love how having a child brings the magic back to holidays. I can only imagine how each passing year will only enhance the experiences.

Well, we finally got Liam's first Christmas tree this weekend. We picked it up on Saturday. Liam slept through the picking out of the tree but he woke up just in time to charm the sellers of the tree. We got the tree home and a few hours later began to decorate. Liam was pretty interested in the lights and the tree itself. He also got a kick out of listening to the Muppets Christmas cd.

After we put up the tree, Mike and I began to prepare for a Christmas party we were attending. Now I realize that when you hear that we were attending a Christmas party you may picture people standing around in nice clothes drinking holiday drinks. This party however is different. This party is annual and has a costume theme to go with it. It also has an 80's dance party room and a room to play old atari games. This year the theme was aliens. So, Mike and I threw together (with the help of our friend Jen) some Star Trek costumes. We had a babysitter for Liam that night. I have to say that while I adore my time with Liam there are times when it is very nice to enjoy a night out. Sadly, for Mike he had to fly to Texas on Sunday morning for work, so his night was not as stress free as mine.

That leads me to the fact that as we speak I am flying solo with Liam. I thought that we would never get out of the house this morning. I am so used to having Mike around in the mornings to help get Liam ready that I was having serious trouble getting us both ready to leave the house. It is really strange not to have Mike around to share Liam's funny antics. He comes back on Wednesday and I know both Liam and I are more than ready to have him home.