Ode to a hairbrush and an update on Liam

Today my well worn hairbrush broke in two:

It has served me well throughout my college days, when I would quickly pull it through my hair and trot off to class.

It served me loyally in China, where I first got my slanty bangs, which I lovingly call “the Asian swoop”.

It comforted me when a week before (my handsome, then boyfriend) Scott came to visit me in Japan. The Japanese hairstylist cut my Asian swoop into bangs that fell straight across my entire forehead and I turned in to a 2 year old version of myself.

Next it loyally followed me into marriage and put up with a husband who disdainfully, but never the less diligently, would help me look for it on a daily basis.

And recently, in the last few months of its existence it accompanied me into John Muir hospital, where it lovingly swept my hair back into a ponytail as I prepared to enter the world of mommy hood.

And today as I pulled it through my hair it brushed its last brush and snapped in two. I shall miss you.

Recently we went to a pumpkin carving party....sadly, I forgot to take a picture of our pumpkin and it already rotted! But I didn't forget to take some pictures of Liam! I got him a monster costume...

Scott holding Luke and Liam (Luke born one week before Liam)

Hayley, my long time walking pal holding Liam

Daddy and his boy!

Tuesday Liam had his 4 month checkup....time flies! Anyhow, he weighs 13lbs 4 oz and is 25 inches tall. The doctor also gave me the go ahead on solid foods....I have been happily shoving food down the little guy for three days now! The first thing I gave him was applesauce...it was a natural kind and a bit tart...Liam's entire body shuttered! He loves mommy's cooking so far though...carrots and some rosemary (you can imagine my astonishment when I changed his diaper and saw orange poo!)....and his favorite seems to be butternut squash with a bit of nutmeg and chicken broth. On a side note...that is my favorite too! If I keep eating it there will be none left for him!

This highchair was a hand-me-down....I have been playing with it all day...it turns into a rocker! Nifty! Liam looks so dwarfed in it!

Sermons and Momma’s bed

I remember in college, cleaning house with my mom (her doing most of the work) but she would blast sermons as she cleaned; I always really enjoyed listening to them with her. Well, I kind of forgot about listening to sermons for a couple of years, but my love for listening to sermons as I clean house has been revitalized. I have been downloading John MacArthur’s series on A Portrait of a New Life…CONVICTING! They are SO good…and SO humbling! They are from Ephesians and he is working through what we should and shouldn’t be like as a new creation in Christ. They are excellent and I have been so encouraged by them!

I have been reminiscing a lot lately. Yesterday, for Liam’s nap I put him down in our bed…he slept so deeply. I went and checked on him a few times because he slept so long. I was looking at his peaceful face and got to thinking about how comforting my parents’ bed is. I loved sleeping in their bed and still do. Whenever we go for a visit I always take my naps on their bed…it is the best place ever. It has their smell, it’s always clean and comfy, and of course I feel particularly safe in it. All my worries go away when I am in my momma’s bed. I love that I have a comfy/safe bed for my little baby to nap in, nothing makes me happier than to see little Liam soundly asleep in our bed…it is a precious sight.

On another note, my dear preggie friend Margo came down for a visit this week! Preggie friend, as defined by me, is a friend who is pregnant and due around the same time as you. Anyhow, she came by for a visit with her little girl Juliet who was born just about a week and a half before Liam. It was so fun to talk and catch up…and of course put our babies through the misery of picture posing.

"Liam and Juliet sitting in a crib...."

So cute!

They have matching diapers on just so you know.....
Also, in this picture Liam's belly looks like his Great Grandpa Jerry's!

Haha! This one is just hysterical!

A random pic of Liam helping mom do the laundry!

Sharks, Leaks and Messes….

I love Hockey!!!! Love it, love it, love it! Saturday night a friend gave us tickets for the Sharks game! It was great fun! We grabbed a sandwich and some sodas and headed down to San Jose! We scored four times so we also got free pizza from roundtable….free tickets, free pizza….could there be a better date? It was a fun time with Scott just being loud and laughing at the hecklers….this kid in front of us yelled at the Minnesota player, “Get up already! You’re melting the ice!” We found him pretty entertaining.

It was cold in there!

We had a great big storm on Tuesday…it started raining in the wee hours of the morning and kept on until the night. It was a cozy, comfy day…one where you want to snuggle up in sweats with a good book. Yeah, not so much, I was running around with dishes catching leaks in our family room. Scott thanked me for not freaking out he said, “I think you would have made a good wife in the pioneer days.” Hmmmm? Not sure how to take that one. Anyways he was roaming around on the roof in the rain and I was just waiting for him to fall through….he didn’t and he came in so excited that he had fixed the leak and then we realized it had stopped raining….haha! Guess we will have to wait until next time to see if it is really fixed.

It is a big crack in the ceiling and it just kept leaking more and more so I just kept adding dishes!

Wednesday I got to pick up my new glasses! Which passed with flying colors with Scott…he really likes them. I also found from the Doctor that I had ocular migraines during my pregnancy! I was so excited because it proves that I am not a crazy person! I kept telling Scott that my eye had turned into a Kaleidoscope and I couldn’t see out of it. Scott thought I was a nutter…but the doctor said offhand, “sometimes pregnant women have ocular migraines; it is like looking into a kaleidoscope.” So apparently, if you get migraines consistently before your pregnant and they seem to go away during pregnancy they turn into ocular migraines…it is a migraine in the eyeball…it doesn’t hurt…you just can’t see very well for about a half hour. I was so excited to figure out what it was!

Could not get him to look at the camera!
...new baby, new glasses, new curtains...

I love how this picture came out!

Finally, kind of looking at the camera!

I spent the entire day in the kitchen…I felt like a pioneer woman…..I cooked and washed clothes and made bread….all kinds of stuff, honestly I was on my feet for hours, but it was fun! I love having the washing machine and dryer in the kitchen, it may not look so nice but it is SUPER convenient! But Scott got home and the house looked like a tornado had come through …Dishes/clothes/baby toys all in the kitchen…..I think I spent hours destroying the house, so today I will be putting it back in order.

Liam is doing good…growing so fast. He has started to become much more vocal. Yesterday I was driving with him in the car and he was cooing away…it was so precious. I can’t wait until he can talk and chatters away at me from the backseat

It this the cutest or what, homemade sweater and hat!

Daddy is giving him a wedgie!

Talking and making cute faces

Whining

The Will Emerges...

So lately Liam and I have been battling it out….he wants me to hold him ALL the time! I wish I could too, but realistically I just can’t. So, there has been quite a bit of crying as I go about my daily activities. In fact, there is crying going on right now.

On the flip side…he slept 7 ½ hours on Wednesday night and a whopping 8 hours on Thursday night! Whoo hoo! I cannot even begin to tell you how much that sleep was needed. Even though it isn’t a regular pattern yet, Scott and I see light at the end of the tunnel! Light at the end of the sleep tunnel that is, the parenting tunnel is looking mighty long….which I think it is, a lifetimes worth of length to be exact. But speaking of parenting, my dad recommended this sermon to me this week http://www.gty.org/Shop/Audio+Lessons/52-5 It is an excellent sermon; I really enjoyed listening to it, and highly recommend it to everyone!

Last Saturday I had a teacher friend, her husband, and our neighbors over for dinner…I tried out this recipe…http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/saltimbocca-brown-butter-ravioli-pumpkin/ YUMMYLICIOUS! If your looking for a fun fall pasta dish, (that is why I tried it I wanted to try cooking with a pumpkin) this is the way to go! I eagerly wait to cook dinner from the time I get up in the morning! Making dinner is seriously my favorite part of the day! I love chopping and prepping! I so wish I went to culinary school…and dance school….maybe I will be a dancing chef one day. Oh! Speaking of which, I grabbed out my ole East African Cookbook this week and made up a batch of Aunt Jerry-Anne Pevey’s bread dough….love it! You can just keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks and grab it out to make dinner rolls/hamburger buns/cinnamon roles/calzones etc whenever you need it…very fun!

Sleeping on Daddy's side of the bedStarting him early on the best series ever!

Our relator's wife made this sweater for Liam!

Looking all granola...just need a pair of Keen shoes

I got a card in the mail today!

Cal Wear

Nana stopped by yesterday and she had been doing some shopping! She bought Liam a Cal outfit. He is all ready to watch the big game with his grandpa.

Zoo!

Last Saturday we went to the San Francisco zoo! And no we did not see the crazy man who jumped in with the Grizzly bears…seriously what a mental case! Temperatures in Concord soared to well over 100 degrees that day so we escaped to the zoo, which is right on the ocean. As you can see we were in fleeces all day long…it was nice and cool. We had a lovely time walking around. Spiderman was even there…I really wanted to take a picture with him and Liam but Liam was asleep.

Afterwards we went to Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto for dinner in Berkeley….yummy. Had the best seafood cob salad ever and man do they ever load it up with seafood! It was a great day…thanks Nana and Grandpa!

With Grandpa!

With my Nana

The Johnson Clan

Some man strolling around with a bald eagle, next fashion accessory?

Pumba! My favorite, I kept telling Carol how yummy they are to eat! I think Carol found me kind of funny at the zoo because I kept telling her how yummy all the animals were to eat...haha.

Gorilla and baby! Never eaten one of these.

I think they are pleased as punch to be spending the day with their grand baby.

The men

I am going to the zoo!

In the car ready to go!

Here are some more pictures of Liam with those who love him!

In Deb's studio....looks like Bibi and Babu have been teary!
At Rick and Carol's for dinner

First time in Grandpa's arms

First time in Auntie Krista's arms

First time in Nana's arms!