Liam update: Liam had a blood test last Monday. His lead level actually rose to a 4 (from a 3) but is still under the 5 that they are concerned about. I am curious (and very nervous) as to how he is still getting exposed. I did catch him latched onto a window sill, like a sucker fish, just weeks prior and I had a mini panic attack. I am trying to keep him busy and out of the house as much as possible until all the lead that he could potentially be near is abated.
Liam is doing well with speech and continues to improve each week. I feel like this last month was an explosion of understanding. He now points at objects in books, signs and says his word for them (for animals, its usually an animal sound). He has learn many words over the last month, however many of them are lacking the first letter. I wish I understood his "method to madness" as they say. Liam's word for go is "bo" yet his word for car is "gar". Clearly he knows the gggg sound, yet he doesn't use it for the correct words. My strong willed little man has learned the word no and uses that frequently. He knows what he wants, when he wants it and it truly is the end of the world if he doesn't get it, right then and there.
Just this past week Liam has really started to dress himself. He can put on and take off his shoes (he calls them soos). We don't wear our shoes in the house and he knows that when his shoes come off, they go straight into the shoe bin. He can put on a pair of pants (half way) and put on his shirt (half way); socks are still a challenge. He has also become aware of when he has pooped or not; he will come running to tell me and pat his butt. Looks like we should be investing in a potty pretty soon.
We are still working on colors. I thought he knew the color green and blue but only if I refer them to a Thomas character (i.e. where is the blue car, like Thomas?). He knows the number 5 and that it is 5 fingers... but he now thinks every number is the number 5.
Liam and Oliver (our family cat) have become great pals. They will spend a good half hour playing with each other. Liam's Aunt (my sister) bought Liam a Thomas the Tank Engine tent. The cat will run inside and bat at Liams' feet as he walks past making Liam squeel with laughter. There are times that Liam will get too rough with Oliver and I will hear the cat cry out. I remind Liam to "be gentle" and for the most part he is.
On July 2nd Liam had his first dentist appointment. It was very quick and as he screamed with a full open mouth, they counted his teeth. All 20 of them! Apparently his last molar must have come in at some point over the last month. I was worried about the gaps between his teeth but our dentist said she wasn't worried. She said that the gaps allow larger teeth to come in straight. His teeth were also stained a bit yellow from the iron supplements and that she was also not concerned about.
Liam's Favorites: He is loving music and will dance with me around the living room. I put on the toddler channel on Pandora Radio and it is a great way to have the right type of "background noise". For his birthday we bought Liam a train table. He is LOVING it. He also is my little water baby and is enjoying the local pool and splash pads.
Monday, June 23rd: CT Trolley Museum.
Liam and I went to the CT Trolley Museum with my coworker and her family. We got there a little after 10am and although he was apprehensive on the first trolley ride, he actually wanted to go again. He had a blast the second time around! We even visited the firetruck museum in the back. Below are a couple of photos from our outing.
Tuesday, June 24th: Dinosaur State Park
Before the Grandmas got there, Liam and I ventured to the Dinosaur State Park. We visited their children's area and made a bookmark, the arena and played with toy dinosaurs, briefly walked around the main exhibit (Liam was very scared) and took a hike out on the trails. He had a blast outside but still too young to enjoy inside. I'd give it 6-12 months before we would go back.
Wednesday, June 25th: Hammonasset Beach State Park
The grandmas got in on Tuesday afternoon and we decided that since we still had the state pass from the Dinosaur State Park (borrowed from the town library), we should go to the beach. Wednesday we headed out to Hammonasset for Liam's first time at the shore. He was leery at first, but by the end of the morning, he didn't want to leave.
Thursday, June 26th: Grandmas Babysat
On the 26th, I had training at my work. The grandmas sat in on a speech therapy session and watched him till I got home. After he woke up from his nap, we all went to the local playground.
On Friday we decided to go strawberry picking, open gifts, and of course, eat lots of cake. Liam didn't care too much about the strawberry picking but he did love all his gifts and eating cake. All in all, it was a great week.
Hope you have enjoyed the updates! I am taking a break from the blog till the end of summer. I want to concentrate on finishing up writing my lab manual. If anything should come up (strange blood work, lupus flare, etc.) I will be sure to keep you posted. But until then, hope everyone has a great summer!
