9 Months!

Dear Liam Bird,
I cannot believe I am writing your monthly letter again! June flew by so quickly and, as usual, you are growing just as quickly.




According to our home scale you weigh 19.2 pounds (28th%) and by my measurements you are 28 inches long (45th%). You are still definitely filling out, I think your knee caps even have rolls on them, it is delicious. You are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes and can wear a size 2 diaper still, if necessary.




You love food so much and eat anything we offer you! New foods this month include cottage cheese, lentils, and tomato based sauces. Your favorites are pears, banana, and sweet potato. You eat solids at breakfast and dinner. You are still nursing 4-5 times a day and you take 6-7 ounces from a bottle if I am at work.




You are still a good little sleeper. You take a morning and afternoon nap everyday and sometimes still need a late afternoon cat-nap before dinner. You like to go to sleep between 6:30 and 7:00 each evening an you sleep until 7:00 or 8:00 in the mornings. Every few days you wake up in the middle of the night demanding some food, and I'm okay with that because you always go right back to sleep and it's obvious you are hungry.




Your constant babbling has yielded a few words! You say dada and mama all the time now, but not necessarily to us! You can also wave hello. Though you are not crawling in the true sense of the word, you can get anywhere you want to go by rolling, scooting, or break dancing. You have been teething for months now without a tooth in sight, maybe someday! Your gummy smile continues to win over even the grumpiest of souls and I'm confident that you will always bring joy to those around you.




You love your exersaucer more than I can express in words, you shout with glee while playing in it! Your Johnny jump up rates a close second. You love to pull on any type of hair, be it my ponytails, daddy's beard, or gussy's eyebrows--we all take it in stride. You have started really paying attention to how things work. You try to figure out your high chair and buckles on restraining devices. You know how to make any toy sing or light up. Your great-grandpa Doug thinks you have a mechanical mind and we agree with him!




It is so fun to watch the wheels in your brain turn! You learn something every day, and you are more loved with each passing moment! I'm so thankful to be your mommy!

Love you forever,
Mama


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Whirlwind Vacation

We got home late last night from a super quick, super fun vacation!




(best hometown in all the land)
We left Friday afternoon to head to NW Arkansas for a dear friend's wedding that was on Saturday. Ryan's old band, Jackson Waters, played at the reception which made the whole event even more fun for us! It was such a fun reunion of both friends and music. I danced and sang myself silly, and loved every minute!



(love these folks, a lot)
Sunday morning we started the long trek to Dauphin Island, Alabama, where we met up with my older sister's family and some of their friends. We had a blast crashing the beach with them for a few days. Liam got to dip his little toes in the sand and ocean for the first time (pictures to come!) and he loved it!




We got home late last night and have been resting and working on laundry all day.



(sweet baby during a driving break)
The numbers...
Days gone: 5
States visited/driven through: 6
Hours in the car: 28
Jackson Waters memories relived: hundreds
Meltdowns Liam had in the car: 0
Pairs of sunglasses sacrificed to the waves: 1
Snow cone stops: 2
Loads of laundry done today: 5



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Baby Daddy

Happy Father's Day!




To the sweetest...




Silliest...




Snuggliest...




Most loving daddy in all the land. I am so blessed to watch you cherish and care for our son. I couldn't ask for a better role model for him. We are both so thankful, so blessed, so happy to have you as the papa!




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3 years old!

Happy happy 3rd birthday to our fur child, Gus Gus!




We love this crazy dog so darn much! He can be pretty ornery, but he is equally sweet! Let's hope this is a year of more "sits" and less eating of wipes. :)

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8 Months!

Dear Liam bird,
Happy 8 Month Birthday! It's a good thing you get more cute and sweet with each passing day, otherwise I would be pretty sad about how quickly each day passes! Little fellow, you are so much fun and you bring everyone so much joy!

You are a little love bug and I am so thankful for your sweet spirit. You started reaching for me last week and it melts my heart every time. You are rarely fussy, even when we rip your schedule to shreds and make you sit in your car seat for hours on end. Sure, you reach a breaking point, but you are generally easily consoled and we are so thankful for your even temper (that you totally get from me ;) )!

According to our home scale you weigh 18 pounds 6 ounces, and according to my handy dandy tape measurer you are 27.5 inches long. That puts you in the 30th percentile for weight and the 40th percentile for height. Great job growing! You are filling out with delicious little rolls on your legs and dimples in your joints, love it! You are wearing mostly 3-6 month clothing still, but have moved into some 6-9 month things. You are still rocking the cloth diapers, but can still fit into a size 2 disposable if necessary.

In the past month we have added chicken and whole milk yogurt to your diet and you love both and are continuing to devour your fruits, veggies, and oatmeal. While your Grami and Papo were visiting we let you have your first frozen yogurt (tart flavored, like regular breakfast yogurt) and you loved it as well! I am still nursing you between 4 and 5 times a day and I'm so thankful for the ability to provide for your nourishment in this way. You are attempting to master the sippy cup, but it mainly serves as a teething toy for you right now. Perhaps we should transition your bottles to the sippy cup and see if you catch on faster. :)

You have started sitting up really well in the past few days, you're still a little wobbly but you're definitely getting the hang of it! You love to stand or jump in your exersaucer, johnny jump up, or on our legs. We joke all the time that you will walk before your crawl your little legs are so strong! You love anything that you can put in your mouth and continue to be obsessed with your little toes. You are still very "talkative" and have started blowing raspberries all the time. You have the best belly laugh and you love to laugh at your puppy, Gus. Ironically enough, JuJu can get you to laugh your head off by barking like a dog. However, you won't do it for anyone but her, little stinker. So we are stuck doing random things and acting like fools trying to tickle your funny bone!

When your schedule hasn't been messed with and your are sleeping in your own bed at night, you like to go to bed between 6 and 7 in the evening and sleep through until about 7 in the morning. This is fantastic, however, it is not always the rule. You do not enjoy sleeping in your pack & play anymore and usually wind up in our bed when we travel, which means that neither you nor I sleep well. You take 2-3 naps every day and you prefer to take those in your bed as well. The days of the snuggle nap are gone, which is sad, but you get better rest in your own crib.

(with Peepaw, 12/2010)

This past week, your great grandpa passed away and we were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Arkansas to be with my family for the funeral. You were such a joy to all of our grieving hearts. It's truly a blessing to see how both of our families cherish you, every baby should be as loved.

Love you forever,
Mama