The Evolution of Liam by Elizabeth DeGasperis

  Pictured below is two-year-old Liam Michael Meehan, the boy I have babysat for approximately one year and a half now. For those who live with significantly younger siblings, you know the feeling of wishing you could place a book over their head to prevent them from growing up. However, I feel incredibly thankful and lucky to be a part of his life. I am the youngest in my family. I never had someone I could dote on until now. Throughout my time spent with him, I noticed Liam has gone through several distinct phases (I refer to interests rather than physical stages of development). No matter what phase he enters or leaves, I love him unconditionally.
1. The "Baby Shark" Phase - Liam must have listened to the Baby Shark song a minimum of six times per day - no exaggeration. This exceedingly annoying, yet catchy tune never failed to stay in our heads hours after he would leave. Bothersome as the song was, we used it to our advantage; whenever we needed something to subdue him or to keep him entertained, the song was available. To be honest, I do miss those days of him belting the tune and expressively  dancing around to the choreography in the music video. I cannot help but want them back.
2. The Vehicle Obsession Phase - This, I feel, is a phase he will not outgrow until his preteen years; this obsession is here to stay. Though Liam is enamoured with any vehicle that moves, tractors (or "tratters", as he says) take the top spot as his favourite. The cabinets in my home are filled to the brim with too many toy cars, trucks, tractors, trains, etc. to count. Among the toys we have is a manually-operated, ride-on vehicle known as the Plasma Car. If we let him, he would spend half the day driving it.
3. The Blippi Phase - For those unaware, Blippi is a twenty-something-year-old man who creates child-oriented content on YouTube. In most videos, he is decked out in a sky-blue dress shirt, orange suspenders, and a hat of the same colour scheme. As I type this, I can hear his high-pitched voice ringing in my head. For some unknown reason, Blippi has this magical ability to captivate Liam; make him laugh until he can no longer breathe. When Liam is profusely crying for Mommy and Daddy, Blippi is always there to provide a sense of comfort - the only one who could. Truly a miracle worker, he is!
        Though I will miss these phases as Liam continues to grow, I cannot put into words how thankful I am to have him in my life; to have a front-row seat for the show that is his childhood. I must learn to savour every phase since I have the chance. I love you no matter what, little guy! Here's to the years to come! (Also, have a Happy New Year, everyone!)

Liam Preparing to eat his Pizza