This week in pictures

All hyped up and NOT ready to sleep!

"You think I'm going to sleep? Yeah right!!"

I guess sleep doesn't sound TOO bad...

But I'll practice sitting first!

And some tummy time too!!

He's taking up more and more space in this seat!

"Look, Dad! I can play X-Box just like you!!"

"Can a guy take a bath in peace??"

Mmmmm, bath toys!!

There's that little guy smile!!

Playing with a new toy from Grandma Shirley!

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6 month checkup at 6.5 months

This checkup was a bit delayed, because our pediatrician was out of the office the first half of this month. We could’ve seen a different doctor, but we had to miss seeing her at the 4 month checkup, and we don’t want to make that a habit! So, we waited and it seems from now on our appointments will always be a few weeks late, as so much time must pass between vaccines.

Liam is 17 lbs 11 ounces and 28.5″ long! This puts him at the 50th percentile for weight and the 90th for length. His head is still at the 25th percentile. It seems he has fallen down on the weight curve, and I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that he has spent so much more time in daycare since his 4 month checkup, and he simply does not like a bottle! He is now in a daycare center near my work, so I’m able to go feed him during lunch. In addition, he is getting more solid foods, so that helps make up for lost caloric intake. So hopefully he doesn’t drop down anymore on the weight curve. In any case, the pediatrician is not worried at all. She said it was obvious by looking at his little belly and chunky legs that he isn’t suffering.

She said his head looks perfect, and he seems to be doing great developmentally, so no concerns there. She assessed the reflux situation, and we decided to keep him on the same dose, which essentially means we are in the weaning process, since the dose for his current weight is higher than was prescribed several months ago when he first started the medication.

I asked her about his issues with napping, and she told us that some babies simply don’t nap, and as long as it isn’t making him cranky, it doesn’t matter. Well, he isn’t cranky, although it is obvious he is tired when he is rubbing his eyes and yawning every few minutes. But I guess we can’t force sleep on him, so all we can do is let it go.

He handled his shots like a champ! He cried during the injection, but as soon as I picked him up he was immediately better. We’ll go back for the next visit at 9 (well, 9.5) months!
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In other news, Liam continues to learn how to do new things, of course! His most recent fascination is banging on things. He bangs his hands on the table, or if he has a rattle in his hands, he’ll bang that on everything he sees. He also wants to bang on the computer keyboard – he is just aching to get his hands on it, and sometimes he succeeds! This week he actually managed to pull one of the keys off my laptop.

He isn’t crawling yet, but he is almost up on all fours, so that is a step in the right direction! Our pediatrician said it’s a little early for him to be crawling, but most babies are doing it by the 9 month checkup. They highly recommended we start babyproofing our house as soon as possible!

He also loves to babble nonstop! He says “mama” all the time – I can’t wait until I know he associates it with me!

Here are the most recent pictures of Liam.

Our happy boy!

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Another baby???

Before your mind goes there, no, I am not pregnant. And no, there are no immediate plans for another baby.

But, this is a question I get a lot. Now that we have one baby at home, everyone wants to know when or if we’ll have another.

The truth is, I don’t know. I love, love, love having Liam in my life. He is amazing, and has made my life 1,000 times better and more meaningful. And I’m so focused on him that I can’t imagine having another baby right now. Or next year. Or maybe even the year after that. I don’t feel the need for another baby in my life (with, of course, the exception of Madelyn, if that were an option).

I have plenty of moments when I long for the pregnancy and newborn stage again, and it is easy to mistake that longing for desire for another baby. In reality, I simply miss the pregnancy and birth experiences I’ve already had. They were over so fast, just as everyone warned me they would be. I want to experience them again and again and again.

At the same time, I am enjoying now so much, too. Every single time I hold Liam in my arms, I want that moment to last forever.

Last night, Liam was resisting being rocked to sleep. At first, I felt a little frustrated. But then I reminded myself that one day, I will miss rocking him to sleep and holding his small body in my arms. I’ll miss staring down at his head laying in the crook of my arms as he sleeps so peacefully.

And so I try not to let the challenges bother me, because I know they will soon be gone. And they will be taking all of the amazing parts of the baby stage right along with them. And that makes me sad. So if I miss sleep every now and then, or don’t get much accomplished each evening, I really don’t mind. For most of my life, I’ll be able to do what I want whenever I want. But I will never get another chance to experience these early months and years of Liam’s life.

And, as sad as I am to see each passing stage drift away, I know I have so much more to look forward to with each new one that comes along. I know there is so much fun and excitement in store for our family with this baby boy as a part of it, and I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

But for today, I want to focus on today. And tomorrow, I will focus on tomorrow. This is how I want to live my life. Not stuck in the past or future, but living for today.

Experiencing today.

Enjoying today.

And so, to my original discussion of having more kids, I don’t know if we will or if we won’t. I think, someday, I might like to have one more baby. Nathan is less certain. But, we have plenty of time to decide. And so, in the meantime, I’m just going to enjoy the baby who is in my life today.

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Here are some pictures from the past week! I meant to post them on Saturday, but somehow time got away from me.

Last week, I let Liam try out his new mesh feeder, and he loves it! He has had both banana and apple chunks in it. He also likes it with ice – I’m sure it’s soothing on his gums!

Here he is enjoying his banana.

Here is Liam all ready for bed in his Halo sleep sack! I don’t make him wear the hat to bed, but I thought it was adorable, and wanted to capture him in it! Check out the thick stream of drool in the second picture – his mouth looks this way quite frequently!

Liam’s first 4th of July was a quiet day spent at home. We grilled out, and later in the evening Grandpa Mike and Grandma Sheryl came to visit and eat strawberry shortcake for dessert. Here is Liam with Daddy and with Grandma Sheryl.

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6 months

My baby is 6 months old! Half of a year! Wow! Before I know it, we’ll be planning his first birthday party. Time seems to move more quickly all the time!

Last week-end I failed to do an update, because we were out of town. Liam handled the road trip very well, though by the time we were driving home on Monday, it was obvious he was sick of his carseat!

When we got home from our trip, our cat came to greet us at the door, meowing profusely and begging for attention. I stood Liam on the floor, and he started laughing and laughing. He reached out and grabbed at her tail and her ears, though she didn’t seem to mind. Ever since then, he giggles every single time the cat comes near him!

He has also discovered how to bounce in his exersaucer, which he now does every time we put him in it. Here is a video of him doing that!

Here are some recent pictures!

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