Liam - 14 Months

Date/Week: February 22nd; 14 months

Milestones: 

• Liam is walking more than he crawls! 
• Liam now has 6 teeth. the teeth on either side of his front teeth have come in. The teeth next to those are about to break so we should probably have 8 teeth in the next few weeks. 
• He has recently stopped breastfeeding. I have a new appreciation for cabbage thanks to this.
• We've been experimenting with different types of milk. He didn't mind oat milk but didn't like almond milk. Rice milk is his favourite. We're now doing a week on cow's milk to see if the congestion issues come back.
• Liam knows that the dogs get a treat before we leave so he goes tot he cupboard, takes out the treats, walks to the dog area, gets one of us to hand him the treats, feeds Bronwyn and Ptolemy, takes the back back from us and puts the bag back in the cupboard - Excellent!
• He has participated in his first PALS Walk!
• When he wakes up in the morning he turns on the music in his crib and plays until you come to get him.

Developmental Progress:  

• He is linking some words together i.e. 'dog woof'
• Liam can feed himself using a spoon or fork. 
• His coordination while walking is getting better and better. He can bend down, change direction, and even run a bit. He still keeps his hands out in front of him though.
• He does a lot of things while playing - rolling things, stacking things, pushing things, climbing on, over and up things. And he is learning to put his toys away.
• His preferred parent is 'da da' but when irritated by his dad he was follow me around saying 'mum mum mum'
• He loves trying to walk up steps with help and climb them without help (we're behind him when he does this.
• He uses baby sign language regularly to ask to 'eat', 'more' and 'all done'.
• His most used words - 'da da', 'mum mum', 'dog', 'ow', 'thank you', 'outside', 'let's go', 'duck', what's that', 'no', 'book' - there are a number of others that we're starting to hear as well.
• He is very helpful when getting dressed. He will push his arms though and try to put clothing over his head or on his feet. Granted, he is much faster getting undressed!

Thoughts and Feelings? 

We've all been through the cold that just doesn't seem to end, of which the cough still remains. In the midst of this and teething, we continue to monitor Liam's ears. His next appointment is on March 13th.


With better weather this winter, we have been getting outdoors more than at this point last year. We did some gardening on Saturday and Liam loved it. He's been playing with his plastic gardening tool and even sleeps with the hoe. I guess beach season will be fun as I assume he will  get into the sand this year - then again, he doesn't like grass so sand may be a no-no!


We're thinking about vacation 2012, which will not be happening until the 2nd half of the year. On one hand we're thinking toddler friendly activities and on the other hand we want to relax. We'll see what we come up with using those parameters.

What I am looking forward to: 


Will I get in trouble if I say July...

Someone's Walking

Liam - 13 months

Date/Week: January 22nd; 13 months

Milestones: 

• Liam is now in the toddler class at school. 
• Before he started, we had his feet measured (3.5) and got him his first pair of StrideRite sneakers. He also has a pair of 'dress shoes' but he still fits the 6-12 month size. 
• Liam's front teeth came in between Christmas and New Years.
• We've begun the process to get Liam to take his liquids from a cup - currently he goes to school with both a bottle and a cup and he has a cup with dinner.
• He LOVES his tricycle
• Liam is 10% percentile weight and 25% percentile height

Developmental Progress:  

• He has about 8 words but he copies as well
• He can stand and walk on his own but he chooses not to 
• He knows to pat the dogs/cats gently
• He is actively trying to manipulate the situation when you say 'no'
• He colours on paper a bit
• He can point out animals in his books
• He hums/sings along with 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'

Thoughts and Feelings? 


We have come into 2012 with concerns over Liam's ears. He had fluid in his ears again for his 1 year appointment and he will probably be put on antibiotics and be sent for a hearing test at his 15 month appointment if it is still the case. I expect that we will consider grommets as there are the concerns of hearing loss and slow speech development if the ear infections continue to be bad. The preference of the doctor is to let him grow out of it but we'll see if that would be best.


As for the everything else, it's a matter of developing new routines, making sure there's enough time for walks with the tricycle and playing and many, many books! I do hope that this year is as enjoyable as Liam's first.

What I am looking forward to: 


What shall we do for vacation 2012?

Hello January 2012!

Well hello there! 10 days into January and I'm just getting here.

I've been trying to see how we might use the blog in 2012. We'll definitely do our vacation blogging, even though I do not know what we'll do this year (trying to see how my dissertation is going to pan out in relation to commencement dates - I may have to walk in 2013 the way things are going). I will also probably do a monthly update for Liam now that he is a toddler. I thought about blogging my fitness workouts but since we're not working towards a particular race I think it might get tedious (plus I have been posting runs to Facebook via RunKeeper). I will however post some dissertation updates since that will be a major milestone for 2012 - and yes, I am already contemplating what to do afterwards...

So other than that, 2012 may (or may not) be the year where we figure out what our 'regular routine' may end up being once all of the unusual stuff is over and done with. There are projects we want to accomplish (the apartment), initiatives we want to start (perhaps formalising some of our activities as small business operations) and a Highland Games to put on (the dancing competition is officially registered!). So 2012 promises to be an adventure! I'm looking forward to it!

Liam's 1st Birthday and 2nd Christmas

It has been a hectic week. First Liam had 24 hour stomach virus that got him kicked out of school on Wednesday. Thankfully he made a quick recovery, enabling him to go to school on his birthday. He wore his birthday shirt and had little goodie bags for his classmates and Christmas presents for his teachers. They also had a little party for him and Liam enjoyed a cupcake.

Unfortunately, Liam passed the virus on to my mom (and a few hours later, my dad) when she had him on Wednesday so his party  that night consisted of Aidan's parents, Aidan's grandfather and us. We enjoyed soup and fresh made bread for dinner and then sang 'Happy Birthday' to Liam. He had fun opening presents and we were appreciative of the lovely gifts that he was given. His favourite gift is a xylophone from his Uncle Brendan and Aunt Suzy. We also put aside a gift that will go to charity (it's a habit that we want to make a tradition and therefore decided to start from the beginning).

On December 23rd, Liam spent the day with my parents. I went to work but was suffering the effects of the stomach virus. It still was a great day, seeing friends such as Josue and I was even a witness for a wedding! Aidan ended up dealing with the virus in the evening, which made for a very low-key night.

By Christmas Eve we were back to normal in the Stones household. Aidan and Liam treated me to a morning at the spa. It was so very relaxing and I loved every minute of it. We then went home and had lunch.... with a glass of champagne! We spent the balance of the afternoon playing, watching Doctor Who and eventually wrapping presents when Liam went to sleep. At 10.30 we bundled Liam up and headed off to church. Aidan played the clarinet for the '9 Lessons and Carols' before the Midnight Mass. Liam woke up during the rehearsal and stayed up the entire time. He was really good considering how tired he ended up getting. Aidan played beautifully. It is really wonderful to hear him play the clarinet and he enhanced the carols.

We slept in a wee bit and then Liam experienced his first 'stocking opening in bed'. He was so excited to see the lion and loved the books. Aidan seemed surprised by some of his stocking gifts (i.e. the 'Book of Mormon' CD) and Aidan made a fun stocking for me (I love the post-it notes that Aidan gave me - both novelty (pre-printed complaints) and fashion (Kate Spade!)). We then met up with my mom at St. John's to put flowers on family graves. After then going to the graveyard in St. Georges, we headed to my parent's for breakfast. Liam opened his gifts and gave us a good laugh with his shape sorter. After examining it, he pulled the top off of it and put the shapes directly into the bucket... oh well! He also received a gardening set that included a lawnmower!

Next stop was Aidan's parent's for lunch. The food was lovely and the pudding was eagerly anticipated as usual. Liam was much better at opening gifts and we enjoyed watching everyone open theirs. Liam was awed by Benjamin who was in the bouncer and experiencing his first Christmas. After lunch we went home and organized the house for dinner while Liam had a nap. My parents came up for dinner and we again enjoyed the food. Liam opened his gifts from us and then sat with my dad who read from Liam's new bi-lingual book (guess we're all learning Spanish). After my parents left and Liam went to bed, Aidan and I exchanged gifts and then watched the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Liam was up a few times because he is cutting his two front teeth - guess we should have been singing that to him over the last few weeks!

Boxing Day was relaxing. We all slept in! We then watched Season 2 of Glee. And then we went to Aidan's Parent's for the Boxing Day lunch. It was good to see everyone and Liam was spoiled by Aidan's Aunts and Uncles. He had fun playing and ate lots of turkey, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts! We then went home and played until his bedtime. We finished up watching Glee and went on to Season 3 of Fringe.

So it's relaxation time for the rest of the week. Aidan is putting together Liam's tricycle and we'll go out for a walk with it later today.

We hope all of our family and friends have had a lovely Christmas and that you have a safe and prosperous 2012!

2011 Christmas Letter

2011 – Or more correctly the very tail end of 2010 was life changing.  At a little after 2pm on Wednesday 22 December 2010 we celebrated the birth of Liam Rórdán Klaus Stones. Both mother and child left the hospital on Christmas Day and 16-1 White Gate Lane has never been the same. The New Year rang in to the sound of baby wails and a never-ending cycle of milk and diapers. A full night’s sleep is a thing of the past. All in all however, the experience is well worth the sacrifice.

2011 has also been one of the driest on record. At the time of writing we are only an inch ahead of the all time low in 1975. Consequently the water truckers have been doing an excellent trade this year. In addition, the economic situation has gradually worsened with construction drying up to a level most people cannot remember and Bermudians facing unemployment for the first time in living memory.

In February (27^th) Liam was christened at St. Anthony’s Church in Warwick. His godparents are Kali Winchell, Marie Trott and Brendan Stones. Fr. Joe Scollard C.R. presided over the ceremony. Liam didn’t try to dive into the water like his mother apparently tried to do, but he did not react negatively to the water being poured over him. Around this time we also held the first official Highland Dancing Competition in Bermuda, with almost all of our girls participating.

On 17^th March, Liam presented his grandfather with a shillelagh, the same one that had been presented to my grandfather on St Patrick’s Day 1973 by me.

April was a busy month. We held the second set of Highland Dancing Examinations. The Examiner was the President of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, Shendl Russell. We also had Easter. In the midst of this Liam developed his first ear infection and was on antibiotics for several days.

In May we celebrated Mothers’ Day. It also marked one year since we discovered that we were expecting. Our postponed vacation from last September also happened and Liam took his first flight and ride on a train. We stayed on a farm just outside of Canterbury in Kent, which gave us the ability to spend some time exploring the areas around which I had been at boarding school at Dover College. We visited Dover and Walmer Castles and Dover College, where I met up with my old Housemaster Mike Vanderhoeven and his wife (who also introduced us to his grandchild – now 13 and at Dover College). We had lunch in the old refectory (which is still being used for its original purpose, built in the early 1100s.) and visited the Chapel of St Martin on the grounds where I spent countless Sundays and other occasions as part of the choir. The new music school, built into what was the Headmaster’s House is now a first class facility. We also spent an afternoon with Leo Forsdyke, my former music master in Walmer. The end of the trip we spent in London. Natalie Pereech babysat Liam in our hotel room and we went to see Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing” starring David Tennant & Catherine Tate. We met up with Roz, Alan and Elizabeth and went to Hampton Court Palace, which was an interesting day. In the evening we had dinner at Le Meridien. We also met up with Josh Paulos for our regular Chinatown meal and were happy to have a coffee with Nigel Hickson on a Sunday morning.

June saw Liam go to the beach for the first time. He really enjoyed the water. He also visited the Aquarium and was fascinated by the baby turtles. It was also Fathers’ Day and Marisa’s birthday.

July was heavily weighted towards prep for “Fortissimo”. Liam went swimming and to swimming “lessons”. He also began to belly crawl and could stand on his own. Liam’s cousins, Alegña & Aliyah, visited with us from Florida and enjoyed playing with the dogs.

August and we celebrated Cup Match as far away from the crowds as possible. We had a picnic on the beach at Mangrove Bay and relaxed. The following week was hectic. Both the Pipe Band and Regiment Band travelled to Ottawa Canada to participate with the Canadian Ceremonial Guard for “Fortissimo”. The three night performance took place on the grounds in front of the Canadian Parliament Building, and the Regiment Band performed at the “Changing the Guard on the Friday morning. It was the first time that the Bermuda Regiment had participated in an official Guard Mount and therefore we became part of history.

In September we celebrated our 5^th Anniversary (yes already) and my birthday in Boston. We took Liam to the New England Aquarium, where he was fascinated by the penguins. We visited Babson College and met up with one of Marisa’s professors, Bill Lawler. We also met up with Carrie and Peter and were introduced to Ellie. We visited a farm and picked apples. Liam also had his first haircut and we took a picture of 3 generations of “Stones”.  At my Grandfather’s birthday (his 97^th) we took a photograph of 4 generations of “Youngs”.

October and November went by, with Halloween, Remembrance Day, Thanksgiving Day (we’ll celebrate anyone’s holidays). Liam is turning a toddler, and even though he is not walking, he is standing regularly and using things to prop himself up while he moves around. He also is a lot more animated, talking, complaining and generally making his feelings known. He has also perfected his “fake” cry, to which we are getting wise.

Marisa travelled to Antigua on business in early December and unfortunately missed his Christmas pageant, but we took pictures and video. The next big event will be Brendan & Suzy having their child – any day now!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope for a Happy & Prosperous New Year 2012.

Liam - Week 52

 Date/Week: December 22nd; week 52

Milestones: Our Little Boy is 1! First Holiday Open House on Dec 18th. No longer Baby Liam - Baby Benjamin was born on Dec 16th (Liam's first male cousin). 2nd haircut. Featured prominently in this year's Christmas letter (to be published to the family blog shortly).

Developmental Progress:  He hums/sings 'Jingle Bells'. Continues to take a few steps on his own. Drinks from sippy cup as easily as the bottle. Loves to 'read' his own books.

Energy level: I'm a little frazzled at the moment...

Exercise: only walking - putting together my fitness programme for 2012 though!

Thoughts and Feelings? I cannot believe that Liam is 1. It has been such a busy year. And even this week - with the Open House, Student Event at work, turning in the dissertation proposal, Liam's b-day, Christmas - it's been crazy. I am glad to have captured so much of it and am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to see Liam's journey from this vantage point!

What I am looking forward to: Christmas is coming!

Newborn

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