Fuzzy Love

A Shark Theme

I'm sorry I have no pictures today, but either Liam or I have misplaced the thingy that transfers the pictures to the computer. If I lost it, it should show up, but if Liam got it, I'm afraid it's in the garbage where he likes to put everything. Alas, today was garbage day so it could truly be gone.

Anyway, last week James sent Liam a stuffed shark. It's soft and cuddly, but also has lots of teeth and doesn't really look friendly. So what do we do with it? Play "Shark Attack!" Usually the shark goes for the toes, but sometimes it is very vicious and goes right for the neck. Now when Liam hears us do the Jaws theme he cracks up. This game is a variation of "Mauled By a Bear," also inspired by a James-sent stuffed animal.

On Saturday night, Jenn babysat Liam (thank you Jenn) and Mark and I went to dinner and to see the movie Open Water. It's loosely based on the true story of a young American couple that, while visiting Australia, took a charter boat out to the Great Barrier Reef for a day of scuba diving. At the end of the day, through some sort of mix-up, the boat left for shore without the couple, who were stranded 40 miles offshore. They were never seen again. All I can say is: can you imagine? This movie plays out what would have happened to them, which, I tell you, was kind of scary in both a-shark-will-eat-me way and in a wow-we-humans-are-powerless-when-out-of-our-element (which sure isn't H2O) way. Mark didn't like it as much as I did, since he prefers a surprise ending.

Finally, on Sunday we had every intention of going to see a new show at the Colorado History Museum: Capture the Moment, which is a display of all of the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs. So yesterday we headed downtown to the museum only to discover that the show doesn't open until next week. Nice, I know. So, in order to not waste a trip downtown, we went to Ocean Journey instead. Guess what's there: sharks! Liam loved the whole thing. Of course I took lots of pictures, but they're still trapped in the camera.

L says LLLLLLL

Since Liam has gone from two naps down to one, it has been somewhat of a challenge to keep him entertained. Most weeks we go to the park and the pool and for walks, but lately it's been very cold and wet outside, so by last night I was getting desperate. So much so, in fact, that we went to Toys R Us. Toys R Us is trouble, and Liam doesn't even ask for anything yet. But Mark and I have always loved toy stores and it is really fun to pick out stuff for your own child. I'm sure the fun will end once Liam is old enough to whine, but so far it's still a blast.

Anyway, we got him a toy that every child should have: the magnet-backed letters for the refrigerator. He's been fascinated with magnets for a while now, but I had to put our usual ones up high since he tried to eat them. But these are not the magnet letters of our childhoods. These letters talk - nay - sing! If you push a letter (say, M), the thing sings, "M says mmmmm. M says mmmm. Every letter makes a sound and M says mmmmm." That's been in my head for a while now and, honestly, might be driving me crazy (too soon to tell for sure). But Liam loves and is thoroughly entertained by it. Supposedly it will help him learn all his letters by age two or something, but we'll just have to see how that pans out.

I also went to the MOMs sale this morning. There were so many other people there that traffic was actually backed up on the highway. When we got stuck in that I started to lose that optimism I'm plagued with (I went with Chrissy, who is four months pregnant and had much lower expectations). By the time we got inside most of the remaining clothing in Liam's size was pretty worn out. I was shopping in the 18-24 month section and I guess kids this size actually use clothing up; the stuff I got for him last year looked practically brand new. Oh well. I did get a few outfits, a pair of barely-used shoes, and some books. Chrissy didn't get anything, so I feel bad for dragging her pregnant butt through all of that for nothing. Oh well, maybe the spring sale will be better (I'm already revising my shopping strategy).

Here's a picture of Liam this morning.

Cake!

I finished icing Mark's cake at about two o'clock on his birthday and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to eat some before he got home. I will admit that Liam and I did dip into the frosting a bit, but only on one side. I had actually planned to make an elaborate dinner in honor of Mark but, alas, that was not to be. Here is the planned menu:

Herbes de Provence-Crusted Lamb Chops
Grilled New Potatoes with Mint
Steamed Carrots

Sounds really special, doesn't it? However, I had bought those veggies quite a while ago and had neglected to check on their well-being until the moment in which I had to prepare them. The carrots had unfortunately frozen (our refrigerator runs cold and often things in the bottom drawer freeze, but I didn't think of that until it was too late) and accidentally frozen carrots are pretty slimy. I thought maybe I should throw them out. And the new potatoes had gone soft. Sigh. I was forced to use a bag of frozen baby carrots (these carrots must be frozen in some special way that does not make them slimy), but overcooked them in the microwave. I served them anyway, but no one ate them. The only things that did turn out were the lamb chops, so we were forced to eat them with a side of cake.

The cake was good.

So good that, less than 48 hours later, there is none left.

Happy Birthday Mark!

It's Mark's birthday today and he's extra-old this year: 38! (Of course I have to embarress him a little bit.) Happy birthday honey!

*As a follow up to my last post, I would like to point out that Canada contains fewer people than California (millions fewer), so we're actually doing pretty damn well. And just imagine how spread out all those Canadians are.

Also, after that last post, I got a telling link in my email. I guess someone's trying to tell me it is time to start operation tough love part two. Sigh.

Terrible Twos (I Think)

Yesterday, while putting away Liam's laundry, I decided to be proactive and organized and pick out all the clothing that he has outgrown and assess just what he has for the fall. It isn't pretty. Yes, the boy has piles of shorts and tees for summer, but only two pairs of pants and three cold-weather tops that will still fit in a month. I know that in life with a small child this is par for the course, but I am really shocked that his closet is now practically empty. Luckily the MOMS clothing sale is this weekend. I honestly never do terribly well there, but for some reason I continue to be highly optimistic about the next time.

Liam continues to be cranky due to tooth overload. He also is being extra-assertive about what he wants, and the combination hasn't been fun. For example, he and Mark went for a little walk before dinner tonight, and Liam threw a royal fit when forced to re-enter our house. Same thing happened when Liam and I went to the library this morning. You see, for Liam, going to the library has nothing to do with books. Today he tolerated aproximately five minutes of stroller time during which I managed to choose a (that's one) book. After that, he slouched down in his seat as far as the straps would allow, kicked his feet, and whined at top volume (very attention-getting in a library) until I set him free. Then he ran. I abandoned the stroller and followed along behind until he got tired out (took about half an hour; he's building up endurance). Eventually, since I remembered a sippy of milk, I was able to distract him enough to stick him back into the stroller. He's little, but there is no way I can make him bend if he doesn't want to. Please welcome me to the terrible twos.

Olympic alert: yay for Canada and their first gold medal ever in gymnastics! It's actually Canada's first and only gold medal these games and it brings the Canadian medal count to somewhere, well, way below Michael Phelps'. Sigh. Honestly, check out these Canadian Olympics cartoons, especially days 6 and 11. (I also like Day 7; I swear beach volleyball is a wedgie-fest.) In fact, Canada is the only country in the history of the Olympics that managed to avoid getting any gold medals while they were hosting. Yup: Montreal, 1976. Funnier still, guess what the mascot was?

Ladder Type Bookshelves

Get this: if you go to MSN and search for ladder type bookshelves (no quotes), Fuzzy Love is the number two choice! After this post, we actually might just move up to the top position. Try it yourself and see! How frustrating is that for all of you doing laddery bookshelf research? We're a no-go for Google, however. As far as they are concerned, we're not much of a ladder site. (Side note: MSN lists us number one for Liam Fuzz, but Google again doesn't know we exist).

Anyway, I have a few new pictures for you today. They are my glamour shots from yesterday's indulgences (that's about as glamourous as I get). Please note the smoooooth hair. I'm back to the usual frizzball hair today.

Today has been quiet, full of naps and Olympics. Liam's teeth are still really painful and now the lack of sleep is catching up to him. He's been napping for almost three hours now, so I am hopeful for a cheerier evening.

As for the Olympics (because I continue to be obsessed), as anyone else noticed the number of interesting stories about the history of women in the games? Just being in Athens again has commentators reminiscing, but the appearance of Pakistani swimmers and Iraqi runners makes things extra exciting. A 17-year-old runner from Afghanistan came in second last in the 100 meters, running in green sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Her name is Robina Muqimyar and she began running less than a year ago in a stadium used by the Taliban for public torture and executions. When she crossed the finish line well behind everyone else in the heat, I really wanted to reach into the tv and give her a big hug. Check out that link that tells the whole story; my favorite part is how Afghani Muslims were pleased with the respectful outfit, but, according to "Good Morning Afghanistan," slightly upset that she didn't wear a head scarf. At least they cut her a little slack.

And now for something completely different: Steven Wrightisms!

-A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
-The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
-A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
-I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
-Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.
-I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died.

Okay, that's enough. Bye.

Napping

It's 3:00pm and everyone is asleep but me. Liam's in his crib, of course, and Mark's on the living room sofa. It's been rough around here lately since the little guy is getting no less (and possibly more) than four teeth at once. I felt two bottom molars and both bottom canines before he clamped down on my finger and I made a hasty retreat. I knew that the molars were going to be loads of fun, but some lady at the park with a two-year-old said the canines are the absolute worst teeth of all (that's how it is being a mom: anyone with a child is a target for conversation at any time). So Liam is going through some major discomfort right now that is always ten times worse at night. He wakes up a lot, poor guy.

I did get a break today though. Mark had given me a facial and manicure at a spa for my birthday and I finally used them. Have you noticed how much more elegant everything seems when you have shiny pink finger nails? It greatly improves the typing experience, I tell you (or at least makes me very conscious of it). I also got my hair cut, so I'm feeling very fancy.

Only one picture today. Liam had finished his lunch and was pointing for an apple, so I gave him one. I'm not sure what I thought he'd do with it, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't try to eat it. Of course he did, and actually took some little bites. I thought this was cute and ran and got the camera, completely forgetting why I usually peel apple slices before Liam gets them. Shortly after this picture was taken, he started to gag and threw up all over himself. Ah well. Live and learn (or re-learn?).

Playing Hooky

Today Mark took a vacation day so that the three of us could have a family day. I really recommend this. Weekends are always so busy and full of un-fun errands and Mark really is racking up vacation days. So today we went off to Disneyland for one-year-olds: The Children's Museum of Denver. It such a great place, and we are now its newest members. At least Liam and I are, since they have a cheaper one parent-one child membership and it will just be the two of us most of the time. So Liam and I ran off to sign up for our membership while Mark got in line to pay his own admission. Well, it turns the Children's Museum doesn't allow grown men in sans children, so poor Mark was caught off guard by the intense grilling and suspicious looks he got at the admissions desk: "Are you sure you're here with a child? Where is the child?" At that moment, Liam and I just happened to be out of sight, so you can imagine the happy greeting I got from Mark when we eventually sauntered back: "Don't ever let that happen to me again!"

Once inside, Liam was amazed at everything and kept saying "wow" so I was finally able to get a shot of his O face (not that O face, you sickos). It's fuzzy, but you do have to see this little bit of cuteness.

They have a section of the museum for infants through four-year-olds called The Center for the Young Child, and that's where we spent most of our time. Infants, you ask? What can they possibly have that would interest infants? Well, they have giant lillypad pillows over which float colorful mobiles. That's just how thorough this place is. Liam had a blast and I must say it was fun to watch him (although sometimes difficult to keep him from ploughing through the lillypads).

They have stairs to climb. Does life get any better than that?

And, unlike almost any other place I've been with Liam, the parents pay close attention to their kids. Liam has been bowled over many a time by older kids and only once did the offender's parent seem to notice (and that was at the pool, where parents have to watch). Today he didn't even get bowled over. I did see a three-ish-year-old in a full-blown, knock-down, feet-kicking, fist-pounding temper tantrum, but he was over to one side and didn't seem to be bothering anyone else.

The place was packed because Denver is uncharacteristically chilly today (high of 65) and we had a monsoon last night. Honestly, we got an inch and a half of rain in twelve hours and set a new record. Being Denver, of course there is flooding, of course people are driving their cars on flooded roads, and of course that water often turns out to be three feet deep. You see, the storm sewers get clogged and it seems the city doesn't employ quite enough people to run around and unclog them during rainstorms. As a result, local residents dive under and grab debris themselves. I'm sorry, but it would take more than a drowned car for me to dive into flood water to pull branches (and God knows what else) from a street-side storm drain. More rain is expected today, so it will probably get worse.

Despite the crowded conditions, we still had loads of family-style fun and ended up with one tired little fireman.

Olympics!

First of all, a picture of Liam, climbing on the sofa.

Oh, how I love the Olympics! I loooove them. I am hooked to the television for the entire duration: from the sappy and sentimental opening ceremonies (this time I actually got teary when the pregnant woman - symbolizing the future of us all - was revealed), through each and every sporting event that I normally would find torturous to be forced to view. Honestly, when else would I watch match after match of water polo with such rapt attention? Somehow the Olympics are different. It's even more fun to watch here in the US than it ever was in Canada. You see, the Canadians - God love them - don't win a lot of medals. Since the CBC focuses on every Canadian athlete no matter how little chance he or she might have for a medal, watching in Canada is usually a let down, over and over. Not so down here. If there are Canadians in an event, by all means I root for them, but now I can happily root for the US as well, so I am rarely left without a winner. Plus, I love the NBC announcers. They always have the ex-gymnast or ex-equestrian or ex-whatever and then they have the color guy. I love the color guy, because no one is as hokey and that fits right into my enamored and ultra-patriotic mood. Here is an actual dialog heard during the women's gymnastics prelims (paraphrased):

Ex-gymnast: "And next on the uneven bars are the Chinese. They won the team bronze medal in Sydney and will be looking to improve on that here in Athens."

Color guy: "Whoa, can we get another cuteness meter in here? The Chinese women just broke our cuteness meter!"

I'm not making that up.

Liam is also into coloring, somewhat. I got him the ultra-thick non-toxic (thank goodness) set of Crayolas that every child needs, taped some paper to the table, and set my little Picasso free to create. He promptly bit off the pointy tip of the red one. Chomp chomp gone. After some strict instruction, there was some contact between crayon and paper, but now only the black one has a tip (I didn't give him the black one). What did I expect from a 14-month-old, I guess. So Mark picked up some washable markers the other day, thinking they might do a bit better. Nope, no tips on them either now. The kid does have his incisors. And those puppies might be washable, but they did leave his teeth and tongue brightly colored until dinner time.

Smart and Smarterer

Liam has been on milk rations for a few weeks now, ever since he stopped eating almost all solid foods. I talked to people and read some things and discovered he was drinking more than double the recommended amount for babies his size. Now he eats a nice, balanced diet, but it hasn't been the easiest of transitions. Today, while I sat on the sofa in the living room, Liam opened the fridge door, got a gallon jug of milk (which was almost empty, thankfully, or this story would have a different outcome), brought it over to me, and placed it on the coffee table. "Hmmmm," I thought. He returned to the kitchen and got his little sippy cup. This he shoved at me with a very meaningful look. Of course I gave him the milk. He better eat dinner.

He is also responding very well to a lot of commands. Sit down is a popular one (good for the bathtub, putting on shoes, and keeping him in one place for more than a second), as is give me the ____. But the command that I am most amazed by is don't do that. It works in a number of situations, even brand new ones. For instance, Liam is now tall enough to open the kitchen drawers. All the lower cabinets are fully child-proofed, but I am unsure how a kitchen would work if I had to give the same treatment to the drawers, so I have been reluctant to change anything. So today, again while I was on the sofa (do not make the mistake of thinking that I spend a lot of time on the sofa - this is purely indicative of just how active Liam is and you wouldn't begrudge me a little rest, would you?) Liam opened up a kitchen drawer. I told him, "No, don't do that," and he stopped doing that. Right away. He looked at me, closed the drawer, and came to me for a hug. Simply amazing. Of course, I clapped and cheered immediately to give him some positive feedback.

Perhaps none of that is all that amazing to you who have older kids and may be even less amazing to those of you who have no kids, but I am a first-time mom, so cut me some slack.