At 15 Months

{I wrote this post a month ago, but never got the chance to put the photos in, so now, he is 16 months}

Before long, he won't need me as much.

Right now, i'm loving the shadow that clings to my legs, sits on my hip and mumbles mama when we're together.  I've been feeling like the long weeks at daycare are great and hard at the same time.  I think he does enjoy it, but i think he misses me a lot.  In the evenings, he wants me.  Dada offers to read him a book, and he passes him by to come find me.  The two hours a day that he's awake and home with us, he's at my feet, on my back or nestled in on my hip.  That being said, I've been trying to be all there with him during those times.  He needs me, and i need him just the same.

His current routine is to wake up at 5ish and come into bed with me and a bottle.  He and I doze in and out of sleep as we breathe each other in.  He nestles right up to me, always touching.  I doze in and out, smelling the sweetness of my baby turned toddler.  During the weekdays, i cuddle him up for a bit, then silently slip out, tucking him in tight, to get ready for the day.  On the weekends i wake up when is little legs tuck under his belly, as they did in his newborn days, but now his butt arches into a downward dog pose and he drunkenly begins to regain his balance.  A very high pitched and extremely sweet "hi - hi - hi - hi!" echos from his lips as i open my eyes to find my smiling boy ready for mama to snatch him up, resting him perfectly on my hip.  The start of our days.

When he gets into cupboards (or toilets) that he isn't supposed to, we'll say "Liam David, are you supposed to be in there?"  and he'll get the sweetest (Jason calls it the Dennis the Menace look) grin on his face and begin to shake his head no, while continuing to explore what he isn't supposed to.

Nursery rhymes are his favorite.  The itsy bitzy spider, the wheels on the bus and patty cake.  He throws his hands in the air, trying to mimic every move we make.

Trains say "choo-choo!" with one hand pumping.  Dinosaurs say "roar!"  with hands thrown down behind him.  Dog's say "woof!" in the quietest little voice.  Sheep, cows and every other animal say: "Baaa."

Dada, Hi, aw-done and Trac-tor are his most used words.  He signs all-done and more very well.  As much as he loves me, when i ask for a kiss, he gives me the cheek.

He's on the go.  He wants to learn and read.  He wants to test his boundaries.  He wants to watch the Vermont tractor or Tractor Mac video on Prime all.time.time.

His first haircut came at 15 months, when his little baby hair was covering his ears and shielding his eyes.  He looks so big now.

Tomorrow is love day.  Go with love throughout the day.  For your kids, your spouse and most importantly, for you.  

Dreams

I'm a dreamer.  My husband is a realist.  Well, he likes to believe he is a realist.  I think more accurately, his dreams lie close to home, where as mine take me around the country, the world.  Well, that's not entirely true either, my biggest dreams are right at home as well, with him and Liam.

What i'm getting at is that my husband would be content to rarely travel and maintain a steady routine throughout his life.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  I love that he is steady and regular.  He is someone i can count on as always being consistent.  I like to believe that i am his wild.  I am his adventure.  So with that, i'd like to make a list of place to see and visit in the coming years.  And to please my homebody husband, i'll also list our home plans, dreams and visions.

Adventures:

Alaska 

Family Trip when Liam is older

Belize

Maybe just a husband/wife trip

Montana & Yellowstone National Park

Famliy Trip when Liam is older

Michigan - Great Lakes & Henry Ford Museum

Family Trip

Colonial Williamsburg (again)

Family Trip or Husband/Wife (depending on Liam's age)

Florida (non-Disney)

Family

Florida (Disney)

Family

Europe (Germany, England, France)

Later on - maybe retirement or around our 50's.

Costa Rica

Family

Yearly Camping Trips

Family!

At home, we've already built quite the little homestead.  We've gardened, rotated garden locations, planted fruit trees and bushes and had an abundance of strawberries.  Gardening was always exciting and fun to begin with, then a ton of work to keep up with.  I love to can and preserve our produce.  Last summer was super hard to keep up with it, while Jas was working nights and Liam was in the deep of ear infections.  After it became too much for us, we decided that this growing season, we're going to participate in a CSA.  It's the farm right up the road, that i love to support weekly.  I can get bushels of tomatoes and cucumbers when i want to can.  But i can do it at my pace, when i have the time.  I'm feeling so good about this move.

We built a sugar house and last spring boiled for the first time in it.  It was so neat to see one of my husband's biggest hobbies come to life in our dooryard.  Our plans for now are to keep our current tap count and in the coming years put the lines around our house on vacuum.  We also need to build a lean-to off the back of the sugar house to store and protect the oil tanks, tractors and all the maple supplies.  

We built our house without a back deck or finish on our chimney.  Last summer Jason dug out an area behind our house to put down the stone bedding to build the deck.  We'd like to build that and get our chimney finally finished.

Our basement remains unfinished, and i think it will stay that way until we have a barn/garage to house all the chainsaws and firewood inhabiting it's space.  Later, into our 50's Jason plans to build a huge saltwater aqarium in the basement family room.  In January he built a smallish one for upstairs, which he's enjoyed testing and keeping up with.

February is a good month for dreams and plans. 

September with Anne on PEI {Part 2}

Yes, it's very true that Anne is a fictional character.  Yet, my mom and I, being giddy with excitement, decided that we would imagine her real during our trip.  As we began to explore the island and learn about LM Montgomery, the brilliant author, we found that maybe she was Anne herself.  Her imagination and life, portrayed through novels full of life and adventure.

We begin our second day at the village of Avonlea.  This little tourist town was built to be explored by foot, which made it much more enjoyable.  Although it was mostly restaurants and shops, we found it very sweet.  We both decided to wear cute sundresses to site see on this day.  As soon as we stepped out of the car, the wind took control.  We spent the whole day laughing at all the peep shows everyone was getting. (#winning)  We also quickly realized that we were visiting at the end of the island's peak tourist season, so that was super nice!

Lunch was at a baked potato restaurant, because we were in the potato capital of the world, obviously.  (ok, ok not really, but it felt like it!)

Holy, delicious - pulled pork baked potato.  We could have shared one!  Liam enjoyed a grilled cheese from the grilled cheese restaurant.  Seriously, i loved the food on this island.  It spoke my love language. 

After browsing the town, grabbing some souvenirs and meeting Anne (above), we followed the signs to Green Gables in Cavendish.

The landscape on the island is just phenomenal.  The ocean meets farmland at every turn.  The island is 2,184 square miles.  In 1901 there were 13,749 farms covering it, today only 1,495 farms remain.  However, that agricultural impact is significant.  1 in every 4 jobs is agricultural, which i was really astonished to see, compared to the united states where a mere 1% of jobs is in agriculture.  I'll get more into the red soil makeup of the island and what makes it so appealing to farmers later.

We arrived at Green Gables, watched a short film on the history of LM Montgomery, then were left to explore the grounds.

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"Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and i am glad to be alive in you." 

-Lucy Maud Montgomery  (all quotes below as well)

The Parlour:

The formal dining room:

Entrance Hall:

Matthew's room:

Marilla:  "She?"

Matthew:  "Don't worry, i don't think she'll bite."

Kitchen:

"I really am trying to overcome my faults, Marilla.  I chatter on far too much.  But if you only knew how many things i want to say and don't, you'd give me some credit."

Dairy Porch:

Pantry:

Anne's Room:

"It is ever, so much easier to be good, if one's clothes are fashionable."

Sewing Room:

Marilla's Room:

Anne:  "Don't you ever imagine things differently from what they are?"

Marillia:  "No."

Anne:  "Oh Marilla, how much you miss."

Hired Hands Room:

As we were walking and laughing through the haunted wood, we finally came to a clearing of fields.  We found out we were embarking on the site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's homestead.  Where she wrote most of her books.  She had a window, in her upstairs room, overlooking these fields which brought her imagination to life.

"You know something, Diana?  We are rich.  We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations.  We should be as happy as queens."

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare....perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways."

"After all, i believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or exciting or wonderful happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

{Part 3 coming}