I've been learning a lot about my baby boy lately. His personality is really starting to emerge...it's not the most consistent of personalities, but I'm sure it'll come together one of these days.

I watch him on the online video stream at daycare in the afternoons. It's fun watching him interact with the other kids. I don't QUITE know what to make of it all, but it's enlightening. There's this little plastic fort, maybe 3 feet in diameter and 1.5 feet tall. He has declared himself to be king of this little castle. He's usually in it when I'm watching. There will be other kids coming up to it every now and then, and they'll try to come in, but it's clear that Liam has marked this as his territory, and he rules the roost. He's all like, "yeah, I know, all you little pipsqueaks can walk and I can't, but darn it if I don't rule this castle!"

There's also this little push-toy with wheels that the kids can hold onto and walk with, and I'll see him kind of nuzzle his way onto it even if there's another kid eyeing it. Not violently, but he's still all like, "I want this toy, and I WILL have this toy."

Now, don't get me wrong. I fully intend to teach my child to play nice and share at every opportunity (I'm a bit out of control of the situation while watching it at daycare). However, a small part of me can't help feeling a bit of pride that my child isn't a pushover.

Another little interesting idiosyncrasy is that he does NOT like things that are gooey or weird to the touch. He'll touch mashed potatoes and get this grossed-out look on his face. I've already discussed the Jell-o. Bubble baths? Forget it. I'll try to spread bubbles on his belly and he'll just sit there all indignant like he's just praying with everything he has that it will soon stop.

He was really amusing the other night when I played Bunco (don't laugh - I actually wasn't the youngest one there...this time). Most of the ladies there are older, old enough to be grandmas. Liam reliably goes to bed between 7 and 7:30, and usually by that time he is so worn out that it doesn't matter so much where we are. His cousin Ethan's Pack N Play was set up upstairs. I tried twice to put him down, but he screamed. Manipulative little thing - apparently he had this look on his face of "I win" when I was bringing him back downstairs both times. It was a lost cause. I felt bad because I didn't intend for my child to impose upon Bunco...but he sat on my mom's lap and roamed around and squealed with delight on a constant basis as the night wore on. He's a social butterfly - which is weird because absent liquid courage, neither of his parents are that way.

He actually has started walking in the last couple days. He's been taking steps here and there for about a month, like 2 or 3 of them if there is something really close by that he can kind of lunge him self at. Finally a couple days ago he started letting go of things and walking longer distances by himself. It's so weird to see my little baby toddling around. This isn't supposed to happen yet! I don't care that it took him till he was about 13 months - I want to go back to when he couldn't!

Anyways, it's Friday night, so it's time to kick back and enjoy post-baby-bedtime!