You guys! Can you believe it's been a whole year since Liam and I moved to Kuwait? I guess time really does fly when you're having fun; or, more accurately, when you're locked in a basement apartment, in Kuwait, with a three year old.
One positive aspect of our current situation is that Liam and I have A LOT of time to work on things. And I no longer have any distractions: no thesis, no impending international move, no SOCIAL LIFE. Sigh. (Okay, so I don't know if occasional playdates, walks with a friend, and a monthly girls' night out constitutes a social life, but it was more than I have now). So, like I said, LOTS of time for Liam. It has definitely had its advantages, though. Here is a rundown, with lots of pictures, of all the progress he's made in the last year:
He took his first steps! After a year of making his Mommy walk him back and forth in his RGO walking brace -- imagine doing squats and working out your arms for an hour straight and you'll know what it was like -- Liam finally decided he was ready to take steps by himself (and let his Mommy off the hook):
And now he can stand up and take steps without wearing his RGO, and has developed some amazing upper body strength along the way:
One of the last things we worked on with our wonderful physical therapist was getting Liam to climb onto something and get himself into a seated position. Two days before we moved out of our house in Illinois, I found Liam sitting on my suitcase. I said "get off my suitcase, Liam" and then quickly realized he had actually managed to do what we'd been working on: "Uh, wait, I mean good job! Woo-hoo! I'm so proud of you." He really got it down once we moved:
He also learned how to stand up to (and climb on) the coffee table. Needless to say, the coffee table no longer lives in our living room:
He started doing yoga. Okay, so it's mostly some stretches and downward facing dog, but he's really good at what he can do:
He learned how to climb onto the couches all by himself. He needed a chair to help him out at first:
But we still had some work to do. Don't worry -- eventually he learned how to climb OFF the couch as well:
Six months after we moved, he really started making progress. I think our visit home did the trick. Seeing his cousins standing and walking was major motivation for him. And in typical Liam fashion, he started doing things when he decided it was in his best interest to do so. When we first arrived in Kuwait, he couldn't even climb into this little chair by himself. Six months later, he's using it (and the couches) as his own personal jungle gym:
He's also started standing up to things and taking steps forward: the t.v. stand, couches, and his slide:
And speaking of slides... We bought a little baby slide when we first moved here, and worked for about a month until he could stand up to it:
And now check him out! He's moved on to a big boy slide! He pulls himself to stand using the slide, takes a few steps forward, and slides down on his belly. He even puts his feet on the steps and uses them to push off. How's that for progress?!
He has mastered the alphabet and started spelling and writing words, some more appropriate than others:
He can read, like, really read.
And recently he surprised me by sitting at the kitchen table. I was seriously surprised. Like, looked-all-around-the-house-before-I-found-him surprised. When I was making dinner, he climbed up on the chair and waited patiently for his dinner. He must have been hungry:
He has started talking, even in front of Daddy. And he's becoming more and more comfortable around other people. When people ask him what his name is now, instead of putting his hands in his mouth and saying "eh!" he (very confidently) says "Liam." To be fair, though, one thing I've learned is that most adults DO NOT respect kids' personal space. Liam does not appreciate this, although he's learning how to better deal with it. Lately, though, he's becoming friendly, a little too friendly (i.e. tries to give kisses to random people in the grocery store). And just last week, the cashier at the Sultan Center (Kuwait's Wal-Mart) said "he's a good boy this time, yes?"
What a difference a year makes! I am so proud of my baby, though, it's becoming increasingly clear that he's not a baby anymore.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for this remarkable little boy of mine.
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| June 2012 June 2013 |
One positive aspect of our current situation is that Liam and I have A LOT of time to work on things. And I no longer have any distractions: no thesis, no impending international move, no SOCIAL LIFE. Sigh. (Okay, so I don't know if occasional playdates, walks with a friend, and a monthly girls' night out constitutes a social life, but it was more than I have now). So, like I said, LOTS of time for Liam. It has definitely had its advantages, though. Here is a rundown, with lots of pictures, of all the progress he's made in the last year:
He took his first steps! After a year of making his Mommy walk him back and forth in his RGO walking brace -- imagine doing squats and working out your arms for an hour straight and you'll know what it was like -- Liam finally decided he was ready to take steps by himself (and let his Mommy off the hook):
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| September 2012 |
And now he can stand up and take steps without wearing his RGO, and has developed some amazing upper body strength along the way:
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| December 2012 |
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| January 2013 |
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| April 2013 |
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| Look Mom...one hand! June 2013 |
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| Check out that upper body strength! |
One of the last things we worked on with our wonderful physical therapist was getting Liam to climb onto something and get himself into a seated position. Two days before we moved out of our house in Illinois, I found Liam sitting on my suitcase. I said "get off my suitcase, Liam" and then quickly realized he had actually managed to do what we'd been working on: "Uh, wait, I mean good job! Woo-hoo! I'm so proud of you." He really got it down once we moved:
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| August 2012 |
He also learned how to stand up to (and climb on) the coffee table. Needless to say, the coffee table no longer lives in our living room:
 | ||||
| Early August 2012 |
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| August 2012 |
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| Late August 2012 |
He started doing yoga. Okay, so it's mostly some stretches and downward facing dog, but he's really good at what he can do:
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| September 2012 |
He learned how to climb onto the couches all by himself. He needed a chair to help him out at first:
 |
| August 2012 |
But we still had some work to do. Don't worry -- eventually he learned how to climb OFF the couch as well:
 |
| August 2012 |
Six months after we moved, he really started making progress. I think our visit home did the trick. Seeing his cousins standing and walking was major motivation for him. And in typical Liam fashion, he started doing things when he decided it was in his best interest to do so. When we first arrived in Kuwait, he couldn't even climb into this little chair by himself. Six months later, he's using it (and the couches) as his own personal jungle gym:
 |
| December 2012/January 2013 |
He's also started standing up to things and taking steps forward: the t.v. stand, couches, and his slide:
 |
| May 2013 |
And speaking of slides... We bought a little baby slide when we first moved here, and worked for about a month until he could stand up to it:
 |
| August 2012 |
And now check him out! He's moved on to a big boy slide! He pulls himself to stand using the slide, takes a few steps forward, and slides down on his belly. He even puts his feet on the steps and uses them to push off. How's that for progress?!
 |
| June 2013 |
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He has mastered the alphabet and started spelling and writing words, some more appropriate than others:
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| I believe this to be a personal attack. :) |
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| Father's Day 2013 |
He can read, like, really read.
And recently he surprised me by sitting at the kitchen table. I was seriously surprised. Like, looked-all-around-the-house-before-I-found-him surprised. When I was making dinner, he climbed up on the chair and waited patiently for his dinner. He must have been hungry:
He has started talking, even in front of Daddy. And he's becoming more and more comfortable around other people. When people ask him what his name is now, instead of putting his hands in his mouth and saying "eh!" he (very confidently) says "Liam." To be fair, though, one thing I've learned is that most adults DO NOT respect kids' personal space. Liam does not appreciate this, although he's learning how to better deal with it. Lately, though, he's becoming friendly, a little too friendly (i.e. tries to give kisses to random people in the grocery store). And just last week, the cashier at the Sultan Center (Kuwait's Wal-Mart) said "he's a good boy this time, yes?"
What a difference a year makes! I am so proud of my baby, though, it's becoming increasingly clear that he's not a baby anymore.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for this remarkable little boy of mine.
Wow, what progress! Isn't it amazing how quickly they grow up!?!?!? And hahah to him spelling "ass." Love it. And the photos are absolutely wonderful and adorable. Great job, mama! You're rocking it! (although I do hope you find some mom friends in your new land)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kristi! But, of course, you know as well as I do that we'd do anything for our kids. :)
DeleteOh how I wish I had some mom friends here, but at least I have my little blogging community. And I can't wait to get home for a girls' night out in September!
Aw, this is beautiful; I love it! It brought tears to my eyes. He's a great dad!
ReplyDelete