Category: monthly liam

  • liam is two

    liam is two

    On Sunday Liam turned two. To celebrate, we took the family to Chuck E. Cheese and the kids had a blast. Of course it was crazy, but I stressed less about this party than any other I’ve ever thrown. All I did was make a cake (in the shape of the easiest ball I could think of).

    His actual birthday was a regular Sunday, but I did make chocolate chip pancakes and made sure to take him to the park. It was a good day.

    Liam turning two isn’t too big of a deal, but it does feel momentous in that two is the age where kids really start to seem more like kids and less like babies or even toddlers. And since I’m not sure we will have any more babies, if I think too much about it I’ll probably get sad. So instead, I celebrate all the awesome things about Liam at this age!

    liam is two

    liam is two

    liam is two

    liam is two

    liam is two

    Liam is awesome because:

    • He lets David put him to sleep and will stay in his own bed for at least half the night. (We are still working on the second half of the night.)
    • He is so affectionate. He can be very cuddly and forms tight bonds with people like his grandparents and his daycare teacher. He also sometimes gives Meredith unprompted hugs.
    • He is a great eater. His favorite things are meat and yogurt.
    • He likes to dance. Meredith is only just now becoming comfortable dancing in front of me, but he will sometimes dance even if there is no music on.
    • There are a few things that he really, really loves: any and every kind of ball, Little Einsteins (he calls it “pat pat” because that is something they do in the show), trying on shoes and hats, playing with hair, and treats (he calls them “num” because he was trying to say “gum” one day).
    • He is a fast self-soother. He sucks his thumb and twiddles his hair and it calms him down. And for whenever he isn’t calmed, he is pretty distractible.
    • He still likes to nurse and asks for “mo?” (He never learned to say “nurse.”) But if I tell him no, he’s fine with that.
    • He gets SO excited about everything.
    • It’s really good for Meredith to have another kid around, and he can finally kind of play with her.
    • His baby talk is super cute right now. He has a lot of words but they aren’t always intelligible. He is also starting to put together simple sentences.
    • Almost every day when I drop him at daycare he gives me a big hug and says, “MY mama!” to anyone around. But then they serve him breakfast and he is happy to leave me behind. :)

    Bottom line: this little guy makes me SO happy. He rocks.

    p.s. Meredith at two years old. They were so different, even then!

  • liam at one year

    liam at one year

    He:

    >weighs 23 pounds, 15 ounces (85th percentile) and is 30.5 inches long (74th percentile). Slowed down on the growth but still a big boy. :)

    >just got over yet another sinus infection, this time with eye involvement for fun. Oh the joys of giving a one-year-old eye drops three times a day!

    >has been super cuddly lately and is very much a mama’s boy (still).

    >is obsessed with this one mole I have on my upper chest and is always trying to pick it up. He doesn’t realize it’s not going anywhere.

    >likes to stick his fingers in my ear while he nurses.

    >is transitioning away from breastmilk at daycare which means we are nursing a lot more in the evenings and mornings.

    >got a haircut! He cried through it and wanted to be held. At first I was so sad because of how different he looked, but now I love it.

    >has his two upper teeth coming in; they are clearly visible now. So that makes five teeth.

    >waved for the first time a week or so ago, but hasn’t done it since. He also knows how to shake his head “no.” For the most part he is kind of behind on developmental things, but not to the point where I’m worried.

    >HATES being put in the car seat. I always feel like I’m strapping him into some torture device.

    >hasn’t been sleeping all that well lately.

    liam at one year

    liam at one year

    I: 

    >took most of last week just to recover from my stomach bug and am finally feeling back to normal.

    >was hardly sore at all the next day following my half marathon, which really surprised me. Haven’t run since then either, though.

    >have a lot of work to do on my various memory-keeping projects, but I am keeping up with photos which is the hardest part for me. As long as I can do that, I feel confident I can get the albums made.

    >am pretty nervous about leaving town for 4 days in March because both kids are super attached right now.

    >was really bummed that Liam broke a brand new necklace, but really what was I thinking wearing it around him?

    >don’t know if Liam is our last child or not, but I really am enjoying every stage he’s in. Something about having gone through it before and knowing what comes next (the good and bad) is very helpful.

    >turn 33 in a week and a half. I’m kind of happy about it because I really like the number 3.

    >recently started foregoing all foundation and blush because it was just enhancing my wrinkles in this dry weather. Instead I’m just doing extra moisturizer and I think my face looks better for it, freckles and all.

    >am very excited about the two book club books I currently have on deck. I’m also very excited about the awesome weather we are finally having, after a month of no sun. These two things have done wonders for my mood. :)

    liam at one year

    For reference:

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    Meredith at one year

  • liam at eleven months

    Liam 11 months 4

    He:

    >Got sick. Again. (He totally had a fever when I took these photos.) This time it was the flu, even though he did have the flu shot – but he got on Tamiflu and was better in a day. I was shocked that his ears, nose, and throat were all pristine. I started up his breathing treatments again and praying that we can keep things under control.

    >Learned to play Peekaboo and I forgot how awesome that is. The funniest part is that he doesn’t realize he’s supposed to cover up his eyes so he will just lift his arms up over his head and bring them down again. He thinks it’s the best thing in the world.

    >Wants to feed himself all the time and will hardly accept baby food from me at all. I usually give him scrambled eggs, taco meat, shredded chicken, fruit, or puffs.

    >Crawls all over the place and is into everything. The house does not stay clean or organized ever, and forget trying to get anything done with him at home, unless I’m willing to accept a complete disaster.

    >Got moved to the toddler room at daycare even though he doesn’t yet toddle. But he’s so much bigger and more mobile than the other babies so I know he is happier there. I’m still in denial though.

    >Loooves taking baths and probably wishes we gave him more. :)

    >Kicks his feet whenever he’s excited or upset. It can be really cute or really annoying. When he’s sitting down he’ll kick his feet so much he’ll spin in a circle.

    >Is a total mama’s boy. Anytime he sees me he drops whatever he’s doing immediately and comes straight for me.

    Liam 11 months 3

    Liam 11 months

    I:

    >Am soooo tired of him being sick.

    >Can’t believe it’s the week before Christmas. I’m slowly but surely making progress on my holiday to-do list. Next in the queue of tasks to be completed: putting together gifts for daycare teachers, finishing up a few gifts for family & coworkers, wrapping the rest, going shopping with my Dad for stocking stuffers, and delegating Christmas Day meal responsibilities. My cards just came in the mail and I was happy to see that past me wisely made them say “Happy New Year” with no mention of Christmas, so I have an extra week to get those out. I hope we can go see some lights at some point, but it’s ok if that doesn’t happen this year.

    >Have been taking photos and notes to put together a December Daily album. It will happen, but I’m not sure when. The Collect app has been awesome for keeping track of a project like this.

    >Plan on signing up for the One Little Word workshop for the first time. I have an idea for my word, but I’m not 100% sure of it yet.

    >Manage to run 2-3 times per week, and am increasing my long runs by a mile per week. I take them pretty slow and so far haven’t been struggling although I do have hip pain. I think I will be okay during the half marathons, but after I run them I’m going to stick to 5k’s and 10k’s for awhile. I’m getting excited for the race though.

    >Still have a ton of ideas for this here blog, but it’s also been a relief to just jot them down for the future.

    >Want to have a solid plan of action for organizing my life and setting goals in the new year. Things have been chaotic lately, and I’m ready for that to end.

    >Have been easing myself up to Liam’s first birthday by thinking of him as being one already. I tell myself he’s one, although I know he really isn’t yet, but then when he actually turns one it won’t be such a shock. Anyway, he’s going to be “baby brudder” for a long time, I think. :)

    Liam 11 months 2

    For reference:

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    Meredith at 11 months

  • liam at ten months

    liam at ten months

    liam at ten months

    He:

    >Seems to be constantly sick. I’ve mentioned this here and there, but we are still in the process of figuring out what exactly is going on. Looks like he actually doesn’t have asthma (even though he has a lot of the symptoms). Right now we are awaiting the results of some bloodwork and if everything checks out there, we will be going to an ENT next. My guess is that maybe he needs his adenoids removed or ear tubes. We’ll see.

    >Lost some weight being sick, yet still remains in the 90-95th percentile. That sweatshirt he’s wearing in the pictures is 18 months.

    >Is super squirmy most of the time. He’s actually hard to even hold, especially because he is very aggressive about grabbing my hair. I greatly dislike it.

    >Gets so many compliments on his big blue eyes.

    >Has three bottom teeth and is for sure actively teething.

    >Is ticklish and has a great belly laugh, but he has been more sensitive and serious lately with his illness, so whenever we can get him to laugh it makes my day.

    >Remains a celebrity in the preschool classroom when we drop Meredith off each morning.

    >Can crawl all over the place and pull up like a champ.

    liam at ten months

    liam at ten months

    I:

    >Really enjoyed the extra cuddles and togetherness I got with Liam because of his sickness, but I feel so bad for him and just want him to get better. It’s going to be a long winter if we don’t get this figured out.

    >Am not so sure about my goal to be totally ready for the holidays by the end of the month, mostly because I’m not sure what to get certain members of my family. I am doing much better than in years past, though.

    >Recently went through a phase where I was really excited about cooking and meal planning and making things from scratch, but now I’m totally over it. Let’s just say we are eating a lot of tacos and pot roast around here.

    >Had to basically give up on my book club book for the month. It was The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salmon Rushdie and although I liked it (75 pages in), it’s just too long and too dense for this time of my life. The hardback copy I got from the library is a huge pain to carry around and there was definitely no way I could finish within a month.

    >Started listening to a scrapbooking podcast. I love the hosts, they’re so funny and likable, but it was probably a mistake for me to get hooked because now I’m all inspired to work on my albums when I have no time to do so. It’s one of those hobbies that you just really can’t do with the kids around.

    >Have a few plans for Liam’s first birthday party set. The venue (my brother-in-law’s house), the time (around 10 a.m.), some of the food (brunch and donuts), and a scrapbook idea (a mini album with Project Life cards that I’ll have guests write in). I think the next step will be to nail down the guest list and send invitations, and then start asking for help. :)

    >Met someone in the lactation room at work (ah, pumping) whose baby is about Liam’s age and she was so distraught that her supply was dropping. She said she had bawled her eyes out multiple times thinking that she might not be able to make it to a year without supplementing. It was her first baby and she admitted to being obsessed over it. I was so glad that we could have a long conversation; I was able to give her some tips and encourage her to keep going, but also to relieve some of her anxiety over the whole thing – at least I hope I did. I just really wanted her not to stress about it so much. I could write paragraphs on this, but the gist is that second babies are different.

    liam at ten months

    For reference:

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    Meredith at 10 months

  • liam at nine months

    liam nine months

    liam nine months

    He:

    >Had a wet cough for weeks and weeks until it finally turned into a sinus infection. Then he did ten days of antibiotics, and on the tenth day he got a fever. Ear infection. So he’s still sick, poor boy, plus the diaper rash and diarrhea that goes along with antibiotics.

    >Weighs 25 pounds 7 ounces. That’s 100th percentile.

    >Usually cries and struggles when I put him in the car seat now.

    >Loves: a big basket of toys, being turned upside down, watching Meredith jump on the bed and her general silliness, funny gurgling noises, and being outside.

    >Says, “nuh nuh nuh” when I put him in nursing position and I wonder if he’s actually trying to talk.

    >Usually has two 4 oz bottles of breastmilk during daycare and 1-2 jars of baby food. Then one nursing session sometime after I pick him up, and once before bed.

    >Has his two bottom teeth now. He’s bitten me softly while nursing a few times but so far it’s not really a problem.

    >Fits most comfortably in 12-18 month clothes.

    >Pulled up to standing for the first time about a week ago! He still hasn’t crawled, but he can roll across the floor in two seconds.

    liam nine months

    liam nine months

    liam nine months

    I:

    >Need to think about his first birthday party if I’m going to do a big one like I did for Meredith. I want to, but it seems much more overwhelming this time since I’m busier and it comes right after the holidays.

    >Started planning and shopping for Christmas. If I’m not careful I can easily feel overwhelmed about the holidays already, which is dumb. So I’m just trying to prepare, prioritize, and simplify.

    >Speaking of Christmas, I pulled out the advent calendar again and now I’m a little obsessed with it. I think I might try to finish it by December after all.

    >Need to think of a meaningful repeating gift to give Liam at each birthday and Christmas. For Meredith I’ve been doing Puffin classics & writing a note inside but I don’t want to do the exact same thing for him. Any ideas?

    >Know that Liam is going to be a fish for Halloween (because we have Meredith’s old costume) and Meredith wants to be Spider-Man (so far) but we haven’t gotten her costume yet.

    >Decided not to do a strict whole30 this time around. A little dark chocolate here and there does wonders for my mood. :)

    >Have been really limited on personal time lately, and yet at the same time I’ve been quite inspired creatively. It’s hard when you have lots of ideas and no time to put them into action. So I’ve been thinking a lot about prioritizing, and feeling better about the plan I came up with. More thoughts to come.

    liam nine months

    liam nine months

    For reference:

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    Meredith at 9 months