Mr. Liam Turns 2

I couldn't say enough about how great this kid is and how glad I am to have him. I've become one of those ladies with a lot of kids and I think it's so amazing that each one arrives so vastly different and amply interesting. You'd think he'd be something of a cookie cut-out, but Liam is unique as can be and keeps surprising us as we uncover his quirky talents and personality traits. He is our only child that took straight to thumb-sucking and could not be coerced otherwise. For now, it is still extremely endearing! He also appears to be our first left-hander, which is kind of fun. He took to eating utensils unusually early, and only ever uses his left hand to operate them. He'll fork a whole plate of mac 'n cheese and spoon a whole bowl of oatmeal entirely left handed. And, unlike his easily offended older sister, Liam seems to recognize the value of teasing and sarcasm and he loves to join in. He purposefully switches up our names and acts pretty proud of himself if anyone protests. He mimmicks my facial expressions, whether sour or sweet, and I can't scowl at him for very long because he scowls back with his hands on his hips. Then he proceeds to turn my frown upside down by raising his eyebrows and opening his eyes wide as they'll go and I crack up laughing. Liam's one of those boys who was born with the roar of an engine in his throat, and he'll exercise his skill every time he sees a race car. So when we introduced him to Lightning McQueen he was an instant fan, and always eager to contribute to the sound effects.

He also has some out-of-the-blue, unfounded phobias! We celebrated Liam's birthday a couple weeks ago and he was so excited about his birthday cake so we put him up at the table and pushed it right under his chin and then lit the candles. The fire freaked him out! So I hurried up and blew them out, but the wafting smoke was even worse! He shook with terror. Once the high doses of sugar lulled him into recovery, we were able to laugh about it. Such a funny boy. Happy birthday, Liam! I love you so.