Just because I love these...

Birthday Boy...a little late

Liam celebrated his first birthday on May 3!  This year has really flown by, and has been marked with so many physical changes in this little guy!  He has quadrupled his weight in these first 12 months, is jabbering a lot, wants to feed himself, crawls faster than a speeding bullet and loves balls, sissy, mom/dad and diced ham.  He didn't think birthday cake was too bad either.

Beach Trip

We took a short, 3 day weekend last week to Topsail Beach.  Stayed in a little one-bedroom condo which had an ocean front balcony and direct access to the beach.  Life was lovely last weekend, minus a little blip when Liam had a temp of 105 with a bilateral ear infection (again!)  Once we got some pink meds on board, we were able to resume our beach time!  Liam loved the sand & surf!

Easter Fun

We had a good Easter weekend, spending it at the Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia.  We rented a cabin with Stacy, Greg & Abby.  The weather was fantastic, and we enjoyed an Egg Hunt at the Discovery Center at the State Park, hikes around the lake, and cousin time.  The girls played together and entertained Liam.  They were able to dye & decorate eggs, have a mini-Egg Hunt outside our cabin on Easter morning, and do some Easter crafts.  We really enjoyed the park, and think we will make the trek up to SML again.  It was about a 2.5 hr drive for us, and the lake is very large.  In the summer, you can rent all manner of boats/canoes/kayaks, etc.  There are activities scheduled throughout the year, and the cabins were really nice.  Excellent find!

Liam's Word List @ 10 months

Liam is quickly learning words, and it is clear that he understands much of what we say to him.  He can sign "more" (vigorously in some cases!), and has started mimicking his sister's actions.  They have started playing copy-cat games, which usually results in a fit of giggles from both of them.  This week, Liam said "ni-ni" and waved good night to Daddy before heading up to bed.  He can say Da-Da, Ma-Ma, ba-ba and bye-bye.  He's working on "kitty", and I swear he said Je-Je when I asked him if he was ready to go see Jeffrey.  When I ask where his belly is when I am changing his diaper, he loves to slap his tummy to make a funny sound.  His little personality is so sweet & fun.  He is usually all smiles and has a great sense of humor.  10 months is a fun, fun age!

You Say Goodbye, and I Say Hello...

It's been a season of change here at our house...little boy is changing very rapidly this last month.  Lots of new milestones celebrated!  He's sprouted 2 little teeth on the bottom (so dang cute), learned to crawl (which sorta reminds me of someone doing the worm across the living room floor), is waving bye-bye, doing "touchdown" when prompted, signing "more", and playing peek-a-boo.  He's a big ham, and loves to smile & laugh.  Such a fun, fun age.  We brushed his little chompers for the first time tonight.

I have officially stopped breastfeeding, and that was met with a little sadness mixed with elation.  I feel like a free woman, but also sort of mourned the fact that it was the last baby I would nurse, the last time my body would do this.  It's very empowering to be able to feed your child with your body.  On the flip side, I can begin running & exercising without pain again, and that feels so, so good!

I registered Emerson for kindergarten last week.  Sigh...I can't believe we are sending her off to school in the fall.  Real school.  Have to plan your life around the school calendar kinda school.  She is so very ready for the challenge of kindergarten, and I know she will love it.  The school she will attend has 5 kindergarten classes, and each teacher has a blog.  I hope to be able to get involved at her school in some way...maybe PTA, maybe volunteering in her classroom periodically.  I am the library helper at her school now, which means we get books for the class each weekend that follow the theme for the coming week.  I do love that, and the teachers are so grateful for the bounty of books.

I am making a commitment to my BFF, Jen, to run a half marathon with her this fall.  I've never run more than a 5K, so this should be interesting!  The destination is still undecided...maybe Chicago, maybe someplace warmer.  I have begun running again, and am up to 2.5 miles.  I intend to try to join a local running group for some pointers & inspiration to hit those longer runs.  I need to load my iPod with some new running songs, and get some new shoes.  I am looking forward to the challenge, and hope that at the end of this year, I can say that I enjoy running (can't really say that now).  We'll see!  I intend to start doing some 5K's in March & April, and work up the distance from there.

I am attending a week-long CME conference in Raleigh this week.  I have to recertify (take my national boards) again on 3/31.  PA's have to do this every 6 years to keep our certification, and the ability to stay licensed.  It's a very broad, comprehensive exam...covering all facets of medicine (surgery, emergency med, peds, OBGYN...much of it stuff I haven't practiced in quite some time).  I am giving a lecture at this conference as well.  The audience is almost all PA's and NP's, and the attendance this year is around 400 people.  Wow....anxiety-provoking at all?!  I may need a glass of wine at lunch to make my talk go a little more smooth.  I look forward to catching up with some former classmates who are also recerting soon.  Should be a good week!

We had Liam's dedication service at church this past weekend.  Not a baptism, more like a blessing.  Liam attempted to leap out of my arms during the entire thing...enthusiastic little bugger!

And....she's 5!

Emerson celebrated her 5th birthday at Glazed Expectations, a paint-your-own pottery shop.  She invited a gaggle of girls, and it was so fun to see her interacting with her friends from school.  We often hear about these girls over the dinner table, so it was cute to see them all clustered together around the table, heads together, giggles galore.  Everyone got to paint a piece of pottery, we made tiaras, colored princess coloring sheets/had a princess quiz game, and had snacks & cake.  Em requested a butterfly cake, which I was happy to create.  We had a school party on Weds, and we baked butterfly butter cookies, which Em helped decorate.  On the morning of her birthday, she was greeted downstairs with a giant Ariel balloon and birthday banner, and a pile of presents.  She had requested only 2 things:  a cash register, and a running suit.  We went out to dinner that night, letting her chose the location.  She decided upon Red Lobster, requesting a crab cake, popcorn shrimp & a cheese biscuit.  She didn't think they sang to people at that restaurant, but she was wrong!  She got a serenade & an ice cream sundae.  Overall, I think it was a successful 5th birthday!

PS...the little boy standing next to Em in the class photo wants Emerson to be his Valentine!