Birthdays and more

I'm not doing very well keeping up with my sketchbook project. I am now about 2 weeks behind schedule, which makes me a little nervous. I'm hoping that I will be able to catch up during my trip to California for my grandmother's 80th birthday. If I work it right, I will have a wide variety of models to choose from and that might actually help me complete it faster. That is, if the baby cooperates during our trip.

My youngest doesn't sleep very well away from home. I'm dreading flying with him. I have no idea how he will behave. This is the only way that I could talk my husband into letting me take this trip, so I'm kinda stuck with the little guy. I am thankful that I didn't get stuck on any red eye flights, since other passengers seem to handle a fussy baby better during the day. I am also thankful that I will be staying with family members who have had kids and are now grandparents, so they know what it's like and have a good sense of humor about these things. That should come in handy when he is up all night crying! I'm thinking about trying to drug him on the flights! Okay, not really, but I could try benadryl.... I'm not that comfortable with it though. Anyone ever tried Gripe water? Think it would help on the airplane? Any homeopathic remedies to try? If you have any other suggestions, now is the time!Liam climbing up a box in the kitchen, before he could walk; Liam in the bottom of a serving cart.

In just a few weeks, the little one will be one whole year old! He is quite the little handful, but we adore him anyway :) In just a matter of 2 weeks, he has gone from taking one or two timid steps, to climbing and walking everywhere! I kid you not, this kid keeps me on my toes!
I'm looking forward to cake and cousins and all the fun that comes along with a first birthday. I'm thinking a pumpkin cake! We've done chocolate, red velvet, banana, (all for first birthdays) so I think that this will be a nice change for our little fall baby. Maybe something like this:



Of course, it wouldn't say "Preston", it would say "Liam". I'm sure that I have mentioned that we call him our lion (he's loud, he's ferocious, he thinks he's in charge...). Our nursery, that is not quite finished, will be decorated in a lion theme eventually. Anyway, first birthdays are so much fun! 80th birthdays are quite remarkable and to make it to over 100, well that's just something really special! I feel blessed to get to be present at so many special birthdays this year :) Take care!