Oh Liam

Liam has turned into a little handful lately.  Today was a great day but it still doesn't take away all the sneaky little things he's been up to.  He now can and does reach the top of the stove.  When Gavin started crawling we bought a stove guard so that he wouldn't be able to reach the burner.  We got rid of it because he never even came close to the stove and it was a pain in the butt to cook with it on.  Now, we need one!
Today he also tried to hang/swing from the oven handle.  Last week he tried to climb the bookshelf in our living room.  I was right there so I just let him try just to see if he intended to do what I thought he would do and yep- he was going to climb it.  If I leave the washer or dryer door open, he tries to climb in it.  They're still too high for him to hike up his leg into it but he tries.  Seriously, what is going on with this kid, he is a little monkey!

On the food front, he's doing better.  We took the high chair away because I figured the fact that he hates when we strap him in may have had an effect on his eating.  He's been doing better now that he can sit at the table with the rest of us.  I use Gavin's old booster chair that straps to the dining chair and I just put his food straight on the table.  We can't use plates with him because he just picks the plate up and throws it on the floor.  He is a picky eater and will not eat everything I put in front of him, unlike Gavin.  I now have started to cook foods that I think will appeal to Liam and then make lunch or dinner around that so I don't have to make 4-5 different things for every meal.  I did that for a few days and it's just too stressful, messy, and wasteful.  We now know that it's just his picky-ness and not an aversion to food or loss of appetite because if we give him something he likes, he will eat enough.  We tested this at the grocery store when he was given a sugar cookie....and he devoured it!  I think the key for him is foods with lots of flavor.  I think his taste buds are different than ours and he needs the burst of flavor on the first bite to get his attention.  He's eaten Mexican potatoes, seasoned beans, and even the oatmeal now b/c I've added more maple syrup, coconut shreds and raisins so it's a lot more flavorful now.  Anything he eats at home is better than stuff we can buy outside so I don't mind adding a little more spice or sweet to make him eat.

On a funny note...last week I was cleaning up the kitchen and Liam started crawling away towards Gavin's room which is next to the kitchen.  I didn't hear the steps on the wood floor anymore so when I looked he had turned towards the bathroom.  I just watched as Liam crawled up the step stool in front of the bathroom sink, stood up on the top step grabbed the toothbrush and put it in his mouth.  I stood next to him for a little while and watched him as he put the toothbrush by the faucet pretending like water was running and then putting it in his mouth a few times.  He did a pretty good job of brushing his teeth all on his own. :)