It's a Bird, It's a Plane!? No, it's just Liam!

Life with a three-month old has been fun, and Liam has been continuing to make a point to be a boisterous little boy. When he wants attention, he gets it! Last night he decided to start screaming after we turned out the light. We didn't know what to do and tried everything we could think of. The poor babe might of had gas, or maybe his schedule was off. Finally, I turned on his Rainforest Soother (I need to get a picture or video of him watching it!) and he immediately calmed down! After that, he needed one last feeding (probably thirsty from all the screaming) and then he went to sleep like normal. He's still sleeping an average of 5-7 hours in his longest stretch at night. Some mornings, he's just entertaining himself in the bed when I wake up. Another mom told me that is a good sign because it means he has learned to self soothe, and he might end up being a child that will later be content to play, read, or watch cartoons for awhile while I sleep a little more. I'm not getting my hopes up, but it would be nice.

Here is a video taken yesterday of Liam continuing to practice his very own pterodactyl impersonation (he has to make up for his small size by making big noises). If you put your speakers on max, you'll probably get a better idea of what it is like over here! On second thought, I you can just take my word for it ;-)



I love capturing photos of Liam in natural light! His eyes are always so clear and bright. He's been getting a lot more expressive with those big blue eyes, and I love it! He's now 14 weeks old.

This past week, for my unemployment benefits, I had to go this a job search information session that lasted 3 hours. I fed Liam before I left and then left Michael with 10 oz of pumped milk, which should have been more than enough. For someone who was used to looking for jobs, I found the session rather boring and pointless and was constantly questioning why I was there. When I finally got home, I found both my husband and baby looking a bit traumatized and tired. I guess, for the first time ever, Liam has decided to start refusing the bottle. Instead, he ended up just fussing and screaming (high pitched screams of anger) 75% of the time. We're going to work on bottle training again. I want to be sure I can go out for periods of time without my little nursling, and without fear he's going to have similar meltdowns (both for his own sake and for whoever is watching him!).

On the job front, I came to the conclusion if I'm going to look around anyway, why not look for something that I would actually enjoy and that would be beneficial. I have always wanted to do more exhibit/environmental graphic design ever since I had a co-op position in Boston that ended up being one of my favorites. I have gone on several interviews over the years, but wasn't the final candidate selected. In more recent years, one local firm (I have interviewed with at least twice) told me they really liked me and I had the talent but I needed more experience to qualify. They suggested I pursue freelance, even doing production to just get my foot in the door and get more experience under my belt. I realized, they were right.

Last week I did more research and discovered two more exhibit design firms in the area I have never contacted before. Told them I was looking for freelance work, and said if they ever needed extra help I was open to doing production or whatever they needed so I could expand my skills, gain experience and network in exhibit design. To my surprise, both firms responded and are interested in talking with me! These are the first companies that have been interested in talking to me since I got laid off back in September! I am very interested in pursuing this, and am hoping to finally finding out whether or not I would enjoy sometime pursuing a career helping designing cool things like museum exhibits, zoos & aquariums, or science and nature centers. I can also find out if I can manage being a working mom, or if I prefer just staying at home. I think I'm the type of mom who might enjoy working a little on the side. I do not want a demanding work schedule though, I want the ability to put him first.

Most likely if I do freelance, depending on my hours, I will see if Michael can watch him since he has the option to work from home. We might have to find other help, but I'm not sure yet. We're planning to take things as they come. For now, the focus is just retraining him to be able to eat if I have to be away for awhile (which is practical whether I end up working or not).