The Beautiful Life of Liam James: 2015

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Liam James | Eight Months

Liam has officially spent the first month in his new home and boy is he one happy babe! Look at that little ham!

Over the past month, Liam has been slowly transforming from a baby into a little dude. I say this every month, but this month trumps all other months in terms of how rapidly his personality is emerging. It’s been the most amazing thing to experience! He’s so squirmy, coy, goofy, curious, and can be very serious and focused too. I know every parent says this, but I honestly fall more in love with Liam every day.

Liam is also starting to display a little bit of separation anxiety when mama leaves the room. This has made it really hard to get anything done, and he is way too heavy for me to carry around while I do things so either I don't do the things, or he has to be patient and pull himself together. I do let him cry a little most of the time so he will learn patience and also so he will learn that mama will always come back for him. There are some nights where I cannot wait for him to go to sleep, but as soon as I lay him down at night, I miss him so much (but of course I revel in some alone time).

Since we have most of the "important" renovations done in our home (painting, baseboards, window trim, etc.) we have officially gotten all of our pets back into the house with us and Liam is in Heaven. He loves petting the dogs, especially their ears, which he grabs and tugs at, but the dogs are so patient with him and just look at us like, "whyyyyyyyy?" Sarabi (my kitty) is also very patient with him and will come and rub up on him when he is sitting on the floor. Liam squeals and is learning to be "gentle" to the kitty.

Liam has transformed into a little dude over the past month. He has 9 teeth and wants so badly to crawl. He is able to get up onto his hands and knees but doesn't understand how to move forward. He currently moves backwards and side to side. I hope he can hold off another week because we really need to get our cabinet doors hung up or else the kitchen will be his favorite place to escape to. Liam has also been very vocal the last month, more so than ever. He says "mamamama" and yells all the time. He is very loud and happy and I love having little conversations with him!

Sleep
I have nothing to complain about when it comes to Liam sleeping. Liam takes two naps at daycare from about 11am-12:30pm and 2pm-3pm. He also almost always falls asleep on the 50 minute commute back home too. He usually makes it until about 6pm and gets tired and goes down for about an hour before I hear him yelling and talking in his crib. I always go get him (because I've missed him during the hour he was napping) and we hang out for another hour and he goes down for the night between 8-9pm. He will usually sleep until about 7am and then he nurses and is ready to take on the world!

Eating
Liam is a kid that LOVES to eat. Liam continues trying new "big kid" foods, and there isn't anything he hasn't liked yet. What mama and daddy have on their plate is always way more delicious than what is on Liam's plate, even if it is the same thing. Liam eats about 3 times a day - usually twice at daycare and once at home around 5pm. He still eats rice cereal for every meal (gotta get that iron). I have also been offering a sippy cup to Liam filled with water and he is already getting the hang of it! Liam is still getting that good 'ol booby milk every day as well and loves that just as much as he did before.

Least Favorites
When Mama Walks Away | Being in the Car seat Too Long | Being Hungry | Bibs

Firsts / Milestones
10.31.15       First Trip to the Minnesota Zoo (with "Big Brother" Antonio)
10.31.15       First Halloween (dressed up as an Ewok)
11.03.15      First Trip to the Park

Liam the Baby Ewok

Watching the Shark Feeding at the MN Zoo with Antonio

Loved going down the Slide at the Park

FaceTiming Daddy

Cuddles with the Puppies

So Close to Crawling!

Playing with cousin Meadow

First School Picture (7 Months)

"Care and support, protect and let go. Nurture, allow, cherish and know. A mother's joy is a son's greatest treasure. A son's happiness is his mother's greatest desire.

Know that you are loved."

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Liam James | Seven Months

Well, I realized today that I completely forgot to write about Liam's seventh month of life!

I do have a very valid excuse for that though....we BOUGHT A HOUSE!

See! That's us holding our new house keys! We closed on October 5th and having been turning the house into a home ever since! We painted every wall, every closet and every ceiling with Killz because the house was formerly smoked in and we needed to get rid of the smell. We then painted all the walls in every room and are re-doing the cabinets. Oh - and we are also replacing all the window trim and baseboards as well!

Liam has been such a good baby the entire time we have been busy with the house. He has done a great job of being patient with Chris and I when he needs something and done an excellent job of entertaining himself.

I don't mean to make it sound like Chris and I stick Liam in a box with 3 toys and expect him to fend for himself while we work on the house - but there are times when Chris needs my help with something and Liam just hangs out while we get stuff done! Liam has definitely done a great job getting himself into a routine since we've been back on our own!

Liam's personality changed overnight in the past month. He is learning to recognize people, especially Chris and I, and waves at everyone - even the dogs!

Sleep
Oh, sleep. How I missed you. We were able to move back into my in-law's basement (after the flood) for two week before we actually moved into our house. Being back in his crib did wonders for Liam. He went from being up ever 1-2 hours each night to sleeping from 9pm-6am straight. Even when he wakes up at 6am to eat, he goes back to sleep until about 8am. This mama is loving the extra sleep!

Eating
Oh man, and I thought Liam liked to eat before. Now that Liam has started eating "big kid" food, I realize that there is a whole new level of loving to eat! Liam has never really been into the "baby food" puree, but will eat it if it is all I offer. His favorite is puffs. The second he sees me pull that yellow container out of the cupboard he starts kicking his legs, smiling and reaching for them! Liam eats about 3 times a day - usually twice at daycare and once at home around 6pm. He eats rice cereal for every meal (gotta get that iron) and I usually add some fruits and veggies in with it or cube some up and put it on his high chair. Oh does this child love to eat anything and everything and of course, what mommy and daddy have is always WAY more interesting. Liam is still getting that good 'ol booby milk every day as well and loves that just as much as he did before!

Least Favorites
When Mama Walks Away | Being in the Carseat Too Long | Being Hungry | Bibs

Firsts / Milestones
09.20.15     First Rice Cereal
10.05.15       Mama and Daddy Bought a House
10.16.15      Discovered How to Wave

Hanging out with Auntie Stef and Papa

Liam just loves the cooler weather

Hanging out with Uncle Frankie

Oh yes, he also learned to do this too

Enjoying the fall weather

Playing with some toys in bed

Cuddles with mama (such a cuddly boy)

Spoiled ROTTEN

Liam waving "Helloooo"

The bond between mother and son is a special one. It remains unchanged by time or distance. It is the purest love - unconditional and true.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Liam James | Six Months

I am absolutely convinced that my kid is the cutest kid in the whole world, ever (if you cannot tell by my overwhelming amount of pictures).

As if I don't brag about my son enough, I just want to make it known that he is the most laid-back baby God could have blessed us with.

The past 4 months have been rough. We have been living in my in-law's basement since June with 85% of our belongings in a storage unit. My commute to work is about 45 minutes one way (poor Liam in the car seat all that time everyday) and we have had no sense of routine or consistency. On August 31st, I woke up around 3am to use the bathroom and on my way upstairs, noticed the carpet was wet. We're not talking slightly damp, were talking 1/2 inch of standing water, all over. It turns out that the water softener started a cycle and never quit so gallons of water was spilling over and onto the floor. We are blessed that not a lot of our things were ruined, because most of it was off the floor, and only our furniture was damaged. We were back and forth between Chris's brother's house and his parent's house for about two weeks until it got too difficult to live in two places. We are currently staying in a bedroom upstairs (Liam and I sleep on a mattress on the floor and Chris sleeps on a single bed). We have clothes in the pod in the driveway, in the dresser in the garage, upstairs and in the basement (Chris, mine and Liam's clothes are all in different places - ha!). I have no idea where anything is. All things said and done, Liam has been a rock star through it all. He just goes with the flow, sleeps on whatever, where ever we lay him down, plays with whatever toys I can find, smiles and laughs constantly. I think we could all learn a lesson from Liam - it's not WHAT you have, it's WHO you have.

We close on our house on October 5th and after a few renovations, will be moving in. I almost hate to say it, but I am worried for when we actually do have a routine. Will having a routine and consistency mess with Liam's expectation of chaos? Will he know how to handle a normal life? I guess we will have to see!

Liam seemed to change overnight this month. All of a sudden he is sitting up, grabbing for everything and constantly screeching and laughing.

Sleep
Like I mentioned earlier, Liam has been a pretty good sleeper this month, despite the unfortunate events that have taken place. Let me just start by saying this mama is exhausted. Liam and I share a full size mattress on the floor, and while I love co-sleeping, it does not make for a good night sleep. Picture sleeping next to a 29" starfish every night - yeah, and then picture trying not to touch the 29" starfish because if you do, you will be up for the next hour soothing said 29" starfish. Poor Liam has had a cough for the past 2-3 weeks, and that keeps all 3 of us up at night. To top it off, my poor back his been unbearable, probably a mixture of holding my 25lb baby and "couch hopping" the past few weeks. I feel like a zombie. But, I just take it one day at a time. Oh, sleep, how I miss thou.

On a more positive note though, I haven't really let Liam cry it out, because we are living with people, people I care about, people that shouldn't have to listen to a screaming baby (because Liam's cry is the saddest....). BUT then last week, the daycare lady said to me, "I just have to tell you that I cannot believe how easy Liam is to put to sleep. Earlier this week, I tried rocking him and he just fought it, so I have been putting him in his crib right away and he rolls over, sucks his thumb and falls asleep within the minute." Imagine the look on my face. Then she proceeded to tell me that IF he ever cries, it is only for 30 seconds and he is sleeping. I can hardly believe it. I am so thankful that he is able to at least have consistency at daycare - the consistency that I just cannot give him right now.

Eating

Well, we got the go ahead at Liam's 6 month appointment to start him on solids! We are starting him on rice cereal for a few days then will move on to some fruits and veggies. I am so excited to watch him discover new foods and sit proudly in his highchair (I guess I should send Chris to go dig that out of the storage unit)! Liam still loves that booby milk, and breastfeeding is going great. I had a huge drop in my supply about a month ago, probably due to stress, but I have been eating more and drinking more water which seems to be doing the trick. Liam is drinking about 6-9oz every 2-3 hours still. I started giving him a sippy cup with a little breastmilk in it, just to see what he would do, and he actually kind of got the hang of it!

In honor of Liam being HALF A YEAR OLD, let's see how far he has come:

First Twins Game

First trip to Valleyfair!

Valleyfair is exhausting

First Parade (Box Car Day Parade in Tracy)

Liam sure loves the puppies!

Morning cuddles are the best

Always with the thumb.

Because.....baby shoes.

There are no words to describe you, Liam. You are my reason. For everything. You make me want to work harder, be more kind, do more for others, and just be better. I love you to the moon and back, my little wubba.

-Mama

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Liam James | Five Months

Liam's personality has blossomed even more in the past month. Seriously though, how cute is he?!

But to be honest, there have been no huge changes for Liam between his fourth and fifth month (besides moving up a diaper size, discovering the world around him, etc.). In the last month, I am the one who has gone through some changes as I discovered more about myself, and what it truly means to be a mother.

I have to watch out for #1. Before baby, most people consider #1 to be themselves, but when you become a parent, you naturally become #2 and sometimes even #3 (after your spouse) without even realizing it. I drive myself into the ground making sure Liam is fed, clean, and happy and making sure I don't miss one second of his life. I was so afraid of leaving Liam to go do things for myself such as get my hair done, go to weekly Mary Kay meetings, shop for jeans that actually fit my post-pardum thighs, etc. because I was afraid I'd miss something or that he would be mad at me for leaving him. Finally, this month, I started leaving Liam with his grandma and grandpa or dad to do those things and you know what? It was refreshing. And to my surprise, I didn't come home to a baby that was mad at me for leaving him - I came home to a baby that was excited to see his mama, and that's an amazing feeling.
I get the final say in decisions for my son. For anyone who knows me, I like to fly under the radar, keep the peace, and make sure everyone around me is happy. This month has come with its challenges, and I have learned that as a mother, I get to make the decisions for my son and I don't need to explain myself to those who question my decisions. Liam is a baby and cannot speak for himself - so as his mother, I am his voice. For example, Chris and I made the decision together to wait to start feeding Liam solids. I've had so many people question our decision and make comments about how "they started their kids on solids at 4 months" and "aren't you afraid that he will become picky if he starts eating solids at 6-7 months?" I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have made the right decision for Liam. He is still gaining weight at an insane rate, sleeping great, has no tummy issues and is genuinely happy ALL THE TIME (unless he is hungry, of course). Why fix something that isn't broken?
Public Breastfeeding. (spoil alert: I use the words nipple, boob, nursing and breastmilk - if that offends you move on to the next paragraph). The hot debate right now, and I, someone who would rather fly under the radar and avoid confrontation, am going to publicly post my opinion on it (because, like I said, I am the voice for my son). First of all, I think that people who have never been parents don't get an opinion. I've heard everything from "no one wants to see your boob in public" to "figure out your kid's eating schedule so you don't have to feed him in public." All I have to say to that is YOU figure out my kid's eating schedule because I have no clue. Also, you are going to see what you want to see. I don't know of any mother who would completely whip her shirt and bra off in public to breastfeed, just saying. If you stare, yeah you will probably get a gander at my nipple eventually. If you glance over and see I am feeding my infant, look away and walk on if it offends you - I've seen skankier things at the mall and on Facebook. I have covered myself with with a nursing cover and then there are times I have accidentally forgotten the thing at home - deal with it. Besides, would you want to eat with a blanket over your head? I typically feed Liam breastmilk with a bottle in public because it is more convenient, but you can only take so much milk with you and keep it cool for so long. Not to mention if you ignore your milk-filled boobs for longer than 3 hours, they feel like they are going to explode and it fricken hurts. Trust me, you'd rather see me nursing my baby than pumping. All of these points set aside, if a mama wants to breastfeed her baby in public, why shame her? She is doing the best she can - and being a mama is tough enough without all the public humiliation of people giving her dirty looks while she is taking care of her helpless, hungry infant.

Now that I have that off my chest (no pun intended), let's talk about Liam!

Sleep
Liam continues to be an excellent sleeper and ALWAYS has his thumb in his mouth. We had four consecutive nights this past month where Liam was up every hour and a half. It was rough, but he was sick and just wanted his mama. And then just like that, he went back to sleeping 9:30pm-6:00am. He likes to eat at 6am then goes back to sleep until about 8:30am. He is legitimately the happiest baby I have ever seen when he first wakes up. It's my favorite time of the day!

Eating
Like I mentioned earlier, we opted out of starting to feed Liam solids at 4 months. At his 4 month check-up appointment, I was expecting the doctor to tell us to start him on solids, but she actually suggested we wait due to Liam's current size, how well he is sleeping, etc. She actually said that if I am still exclusively breastfeeding when he is 8 months, and he is as happy and healthy as he is now, she would be fine with that. I don't think we will wait that long, we will most likely start him on solids at 6 months. I am eager to see what his reaction is! So as of right now, Liam is just eating that good 'ol booby milk. He eats about 6-9oz every 2-3 hours. I swear he has the most random eating schedule of any baby - ever.