Rolling & Rockin' (to Heavy Metal)

In the last 24 hours our son has become a rolling machine. This was all kicked off by a "getting to know you" visit to our new pediatrician here in Nashville on Friday. He was laying on the exam table and I was sitting next to him. She asked if we had any questions and I mentioned that he'd been rolling onto his tummy for about a month and a half, but that he wasn't great at rolling in the other direction. I had seen him do it twice in a row at my mom's house before we left Chicago, but never since.

Literally as I am speaking the little stinker rolls over onto his tummy, looks around, and with absolutely zero fuss at all, rolls right on back onto his back. I was dumbfounded. Kids, they live to make you look bad in front of doctors I suppose.

Now as I sit next to him in the living room he is rolling back and forth all across his play mat.

He is also screeching.

He began "singing" often this weekend. He used to only sing when he was having a good time in his little jumper and he'd really get it going and then he'd start screeching along. It reminded me of people who put the top down in a convertible, hang their head out, and howl to the moon just for kicks. That was Liam in his jumperoo. Terry thought that he liked to sing and shout when he was feeling independent, and the freedom of movement in his jumperoo gave him a sense of independence.

But then yesterday he went grocery shopping with us and was his quiet observant darling little self until we were in line. First he started flirting with the couple behind us. Then when he was sure that they liked him, he decided to give them a real treat. He started singing. It starts with melodic but loud cooing. They smiled and laughed and pretty soon he was rocking out like a heavy metal star. He was smiling and wriggling around and having a great time, but he was screeching. I took him outside the store so he could sing in peace while Terry paid.

This morning as I'm getting ready in the bathroom I hear this crazy screeching coming from our bedroom. And I think to myself: "Our kid is a truly gifted linguist. Instead of English, he has resurrected a long dead non-human language: pterodactyl."

So Terry and I start singing along with the baby and before long we are all rocking out. Terry moves the party into the living room and fires up "Back in Black" by AC/DC. I dance around all crazy, but the baby sits there transfixed, just listening and occasionally smiling at my dancing antics. I like to think he stopped singing out of professional courtesy to another hard rock performer. Then, at the end, Terry got up with the baby and all three of us danced around. Liam started singing along. Good times were had by all.

Crib made of coals?

So our formerly awesome napper has turned into a little troll. It is as if his crib has magically turned into hot coals. He can be all sleepy, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He can be ready to fall asleep on my shoulder, but the instant that little baby butt hits his crib mattress his eyes fly open and there is much squalking and complaining, and if not retrieved this escalates to crying with sad little baby curled bottom lip.

It is probably some combination of him being more excited and engaged with the world around him and therefore more interested in fighting naps, and possibly even some early stage separation anxiety (it seemed to start around my trip to ASA in San Francisco). But either way it is the pits. It hasn't yet spread to night sleep (thank God), but the last two days the only way I could get him to sleep was to wear him around for an hour and a half while he slept in the sling. I love him and was actually secretly a little glad to do it because it made me feel all needed and connected to him like when he was a tiny sprout. On the other hand, he now weighs more than 20 lbs and wearing that weight on one shoulder for an hour and a half is no joke.

End of Conapping, Adventures in Food, and Reaching

Up to my eyeballs in work, and Terry starts in with lots of administrative work for school this week. But I wanted to write a quick update.

As I sit here, Liam is doing tummy time on our bed. He is very good at pushing himself quite high up on his hands. (He sometimes also raises his butt up while his head is resting on the bed). One trick I really noticed for the first time just now is that he is starting to reach for things. He is aware of things just outside his reach, and that his hands can get those things for him if only he can get a little closer. He is presently trying to squirm a bit closer to the fringed edge of a bright green hand towel on the bed, stretching his fat little baby fingers out in its direction.

Food is going very well. So far he has definitely had some things he likes more than others (sweet potatoes) and some things he likes less (zucchini), but he has eaten everything offered without any coercion or cajoling. So far we have tried: peas, zucchini, sweet potato, pear, apple, and turkey. Everything is organic and home made (in the case of the turkey excessively organic, hormone free, antibiotic free, vegetarian feed, free range, Club Med kind of turkey). On deck for upcoming exploration: quinoa, amaranth, butternut squash, broccoli, prunes. I'm also thinking we might explore blueberries and cherries while the time is ripe. He always winds up with a sort of hysterical little goatee of food all around his mouth (occasionally in his nose), but he seems to like it.

Finally, our regular morning conaps on the futon in his room are no more. They were really the highlight of the first five months, a nice quiet morning time for just him and I to be together. To feel cuddly and close, with a warm little baby body and light little baby breath. Sometime in the second week of July, when he was approaching 5.5 months old, suddenly one morning he wanted no more of it. Literally one day he cuddled up and wend right to sleep, and the next morning he fussed and squirmed until set down in his crib where he promptly went to sleep. And that pattern continued. Now it is a rare morning that we get a co-nap in, and these have generally moved to our bed where he can lay however he likes and spread out, rather than being cuddled up on his side with his head laying on my shoulder, or laying tummy to tummy (kangaroo style) with me.

It is still quite a sweet nice thing for me to be able to nap next to him, and as he falls asleep he inevitably turns his sweet peaceful little face to me, or curls his body towards me. Sometimes he reaches out a hand and touches my arm or face, and then falls asleep that way. I like to think of it as a little sign that he also enjoys a few stolen moments of cuddly closeness, even if he is a "big boy" who no longer naps every morning in mom's arms. Even still, it is the end of an era and I am sad to see it go.

Retrospective: Baptism and McDonnell visit

Grandma and Pop McDonnell are visiting us down in Nashville, so we had the opportunity to download from Denyse's camera, so we got a good look at their April visit to Chicago and Liam's Christening. It was so interesting to be reminded of our darling little sack of potatoes back when he was only three months old.

Faces of Liam: or sweet little baby in a diaper on the bed

Tickles from Daddy

Sweet little baby face.

Tummy time stare

Cute little expression.

Hey, gimme that camera thing

Liam's newest little trick: grabbing his own feet. This is also known as "happy baby" pose in yoga.

From Chicago to Nashville

Liam patiently plays on a mat on the floor while we put finishing touches on the house and get the last few things down. Finally even the play mat goes down and there is just a baby and a blanket and a wooden floor.

Liam and Mommy take one last picture in the old house together. This is the house where we were married and where our baby was born. There is a lot of love in these walls.

En route we stopped off and spent the night in Louisville with Keith's parent, the Karems. Sunday morning before we set off, Mrs. Karem treated us to a delicious breakfast in the garden.

Liam needed a spot for a nap, so we repurposed Uncle Keith's old red wagon, and it worked like a charm!

Same baby, same mat, new wooden floor. Liam enjoys playing with the big mirror we found in our new house while we wait for movers to arrive.

Chicago Going Away Party

Chicago Going Away Party

Saturday morning we drove under grey, sad skies to join our friends in Loyola's lakeside park for one last hurrah. We joined forces with our dear friends, the Ferrales, for a joint going-away party (Gabrielle graduated and took a position at the University of Minnesota). The weather had been beautiful all week, but it was chilly and overcast, threatening rain. We talked on the phone on the way up and decided to stay with our "plan A" and have a BBQ in the park unless it poured on us.

Our dear friend Kieran brought his trusty little grill, and before long we had burgers and chicken sausage and hot dogs cooking away as our friends (and their tasty side dishes) came rolling in. We moved under a large tree to get shelter from the drizzle, which was more annoying than anything. Through it all we perservered, and were even rewarded with a peek of sunshine now and then.

We threw footballs and pitched horseshoes. We got sugar highs from Molly's Cupcakes. We talked and laughed. We admired the growing brood of babies in the sociology kids club. Alex (4) was the oldest, and an honorary member of the sociology babies club because his mom Rachel is a Cultural Anthropologist and a good friend. Savino and Anna, both a little over three years old, rounded out the older group. They were followed by Kristian (almost a year), Liam (6 months) and then a slew of really itty bitty ones: Jane (8 weeks and Alex's sister), Xavi (6 weeks), Zeke (3 weeks) and Julian (2 weeks).

You can see the full set of photos from the link above, but I wanted to include a few of my favorites.

Anna enjoys ripe juicy watermelon.

Ian and Kieran bravely man the grill through the light drizzle. Corey and Harvey ferry dogs and burgers over to the crowd beneath the tree.

Terry teaching Liam to play.

Julian Ferrales, the youngest member of the sociology kids club, just 2 weeks old.

Kristian Vannebo Taylor, nearly a year old, leading the youngest sociology kids.

Liam sizing up Kristian.

Liam hanging out with Emily, Uncle Keith's girlfriend

Kelly came directly from the airport, after flying in from France. With son, Alex, and his 8 week old daughter Jane (look at that face!)

Liam cuddling up with Cousin Kimmy.

I wish I had thought to take a big group picture when everyone was there, but at least I remembered to take one at the very end before the closers headed home.