Liam is Oney-one!

Liam has turned 11! He’s officially celebrated 2 birthdays in Singapore. This year, having a Tuesday birthday, made for underwhelming celebrations on the day of. But he had blueberry muffins for breakfast, cupcakes with his class at school and a dinner celebration at home. This weekend we will take Liam and 3 friends to HydroDash, followed by dinner then Magical Shores which is an interactive light show on the beach in Sentosa. I hope it will be a fun day for him.

When I reflect on Liam over the past year, I can really see how much he has grown both physically but more as a person. He’s not a little kid anymore and he’s trying to figure out how to “be” in the world. He still will sometimes “play” but I am seeing those days slipping away. He is both our easiest and most difficult child. What do I mean? Liam’s by nature, “happy go lucky”. When he’s with you, he’s always engaged and excited for a new adventure or challenge. I can see that he feels an immense responsibility to be my partner in adventure, even when no one else wants to. For that, I’m so grateful to my little buddy. He’s always interested in trying new things and this past year, he’s started trying his hand at cooking and baking. The interesting thing is, he comes at it in a completely different way than I do. I am a “recipe reader”. I follow directions to the letter. But I am ultimately not a very creative or original cook or baker. Liam on the other hand wants to “make his own recipe”. He spent days trying to make a perfect mug cake on his own (even with me telling him it would take only seconds to find a recipe online!), made homemade croissants (that one was tough and the bakery croissants are so good) and is now in a homemade pasta phase (which we fully support, so tasty!). I hope he sticks with it as it’s so fun to watch him figure out new things.

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My other reflection on Liam is just how amazingly flexible he is. I’ve taken to calling him my desert island kid. Meaning, you could plunk him on a desert island and he would not only survive, but he would probably build a hut and a boat and be drinking from a coconut. Liam makes friends where ever he goes and makes the best of each day. It’s truly a gift to be this way and I hope he never loses this!

He also loves both of his sisters deeply. I know he feels an immense responsibility to “take care” of them both. I’m not sure exactly why but it is a wonderful thing to see. He’s their biggest champion and friend when they need it most. When Ella was struggling when we first moved here, he would cry worrying that she hated him. He couldn’t bare the idea of that. He never gave up on her. I hope that is the mark of his true character.

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How is he difficult? Mostly in the same ways he’s always been. He still has “trouble transitioning” to borrow a preschool phrase which is super annoying (“just one more minute, mom!”). And we’re working on keeping his natural confidence but making sure it doesn’t cross over into arrogance. We see him testing limits. He’s good at this and keeps us on our toes. We’re still one step ahead of him, but we’ll have to work hard to stay there.

I’m such a lucky mom to get to parent Liam. Even when he makes me CRAZY, it’s hard not to just laugh. I hope you always keep your inquisitive and kind spirit. You are a joy to watch grow. Happy birthday to my blueberry muffin. 💕