Trying Not to Change too Quickly...

but it's hard, Daddy. It's overwhelming to think of all the changes that Taylor is missing with George while he's gone. I'm amazed at how our little guy (or not so little guy) changes from week to week. The biggest thing right now that I've noticed is how much he is growing. He weighed in on our home scale at 15.6 lbs and is just fitting into 3 - 6 month clothes. He'll be in 6 - 9 before we know it.

George has also started talking a bit more. He babbles on and on and can get pretty loud when he wants to. Everyday, I try and get on the floor with him and he lays there and has this little conversation with me. If only I knew what he was saying. :)

It's also a lot of fun to see the boys interact the little bit that they do. G loves to watch Liam run around and go crazy when we get home. I love that they have each other and can't wait to see how they do once George is mobile. I better get as many of these kinds of pics as I can while the little guy can't go anywhere:



George has a bit of a cough so hasn't slept well today. Hopefully, he'll get some decent rest tonight as we wrap up our first week of this deployment. Looking forward to seeing Mimi and Tooey this weekend, but not to the next set of shots (sorry, George). He gets them on Saturday, so wish us luck!

We survived!

Too bad my computer didn't, but that's another story. Anyway, poor Mr. Man had a bit of a rough week. I picked him up on Wednesday from school and his teacher said he just started to act groggy and she was holding him and rocking him. This is Liam, so I knew something was wrong right away. He had his head on her shoulder and Liam is NOT a cuddler. His teacher confirmed my thoughts when she told me that he didn't even want to play soccer in the gym....HIS FAVORITE! Well, I got home and took his temp and it was 102! He spent most of the evening looking a lot like this:



The next morning it was up to 103, so we stayed home. I gave him tylenol, dropped G off at school so as not to infect him and took Liam to the pediatrican, where he registered at 98 degrees. Little stinker!! Anyway, he got to feeling better quickly and we actually had a really nice day. It has been sooooooooooooooooo long since it's just been the two of us for the day and I think in a way we both needed that alone time together. In just 3 short months, I forgot how easy one child is. Ha ha!

Well, the little guy recovered and had a fun weekend with Grandmichaele and Papa. Liam got to talk to Taylor tonight on the phone, which was really sweet. It's nice that we are able to do that for now. Not much going on this week. Just trucking on through and looking forward to seeing Mimi and Tooey next weekend.

Where did Daddy go?

Okay, Little G obviously is handling this deployment better than Liam and I, but I think even if he understood everything, he still would. This kiddo is soooo relaxed. I LOVE it!

The past few weeks have meant big changes for George. First, he turned 3 months old and seems to have decided that he was quite grown up now, as he lounges out without a care in the world:



Then, he decides to show off to his Aunt Mike by holding his own bottle for a feeding (well, a quarter of a feeding, anyway):



Now, if I could just get him to understand that "big boys" sleep through the night. Ha ha!

George's next big adventure was the start of school. We are sending George to Goddard where Liam goes and it has been quite the experience. On his first day, Little G fingerpainted....I kid you not!! He fingerpainted a pair of mittens. Crazy? Yes! But still fun. And at least he's not just laying around with no one paying attention to him. Just like with Liam, we get a daily sheet saying what they did that particular day. Several activities thus far have been: have books read to them (they list the book read), fingerpainting and painting with their feet, feeling bags of ice for sensory stimulation (the theme that week was winter), playing in the mirror, dancing to winter songs, and tracking a penguin with their eyes. George seems to have passed so far with flying colors. :) He seems to like school as much as a 3 month old can and is always very relaxed and happy at drop-off and pick-up. So far, we really really like it there.

The other big change for George is size. The kid is huge!! Not fat, huge, but just big....like, linebacker huge. Long too. I can't wait to get him measured. We don't have an appointment for him for a few weeks yet, but I'm going to try the weigh myself, weigh him method this weekend to get an estimate on weight. It was pretty funny to try and bathe him in Mimi's sink the other weekend:



We'll have to figure something out before we return since he's way too little for the big tub still.

Other tidbits about our little man:

he STILL looks at us like we're moroons and he knows something that we don't:



he is beginning to find his laugh......sooooo cute!

he still likes to be swaddled and will sleep from around 7 p.m. until midnight without waking...after that, it's 3 a.m. and 5 a.m....ugh!

he's a happy, happy, happy kid...unless he's hungry and you don't have food right away

he only takes in around 12 ozs of formula a day...this kid loves to nurse

he is the cutest, sweetest thing that will melt your heart in an instant:



he has rolled over from tummy to back a couple of times, but not consistently yet

he LOVES his brother:



he cannot decide whether he likes paci or his fingers, but still does want to get his whole fist in his mouth....even just once!



oh yeah...and we bore him!

Goodbye, For Now....

Well, I have been through one deployment with Taylor and have said goodbye once. Therefore, I sort of knew what this morning would be like and how I would react. Let me just say....WOW!! Nothing is harder than seeing your 3 year old clinging to Daddy and crying. Liam DID NOT want Taylor to leave and made it clear how well he understood what was going on. Pretty sad. And to kick me while I'm down, he also let Taylor and I know that it would be fine if I went on the airplane and Daddy stayed with him. HA HA HA. Gave me a warm feeling in my heart. :) Poor kiddo.

On the upside, he didn't cry for too long since elevators and moving walkways are REALLY fun!!



The past few weeks have been quite the whirwind as we've been getting ready for today. Liam has fully transitioned into the 3 year old class and LOVES it. He almost never has an accident now and goes diaper free full-time except for sleeping. Even then, he mostly wakes up dry, but not consistently enough that I want to deal with changing sheets on the days he doesn't. He is also becoming quite the helper around the house and "hopefully" is settling into fewer tantrums, although I believe the latest change in the household may have them increase once again before they finally decrease for a long period of time.

Liam has spent beginning part of 2008 doing a lot of visiting with family. He is really growing quickly and is beginning to do some new things: he can put more complex puzzles together, generally uses the bathroom on his own (we just help him wash his hands), is getting really good about putting his dishes away and helping clean up, "reads" books to us, and has learned to play board games and ride a tricycle (although steering is still a bit tough). It's still soooo fun to watch him grow and figure things out. Here are some of his latest antics:

Using his hand saw



Helping Daddy change oil



Pretending to be a Prairie Dog




Not much new going on this week (today was enough to last the week, and as Liam keeps saying, he's "upset"). Grandmichaele and Papa are coming to visit this weekend and I'm hoping to take him to the library. Other than that, just trying to figure out our new routine. Wish us luck!