1 month old

Liam "celebrated" his 1 month birthday a few days ago.

It's so unbelievable how fast the time has passed!! In some ways, it feels like we just brought him home from the hospital, yet on the other hand, it feels like he's been with us forever. We have commented so many times that our family just feels complete now. So hard to describe the feeling, but it just feels right.

Today Liam had his 1 month physical and other than a skin condition on his ears, he's doing great! He is in the 78th percentile for height (22.5 inches... up 2.5 inches from when he was born) and 51st percentile for weight (up 2 lbs from his birth weight.) His head size is a bit puzzling though, only in the 9th percentile!!! Even the doctor commented on how shall his head is, but said he wasn't concerned.

Unfortunately, just like the girls at this age, he's got a bad case of baby acne. Even though I know it is not painful, I still cringe when I look at him. Hopefully it will pass in the next few weeks.

The best news is that he is starting to smile! I have been the lucky recipient of his smiles several times now and it is just the cutest thing. He also makes "talking" noises, which sound a bit like a cat going "Rrrraaaarrr." He only does this with the girls, which is pretty special and makes them feel important.

In other news, we're very excited for Grandma Jo's visit next month, and a possible visit from Grandpa Clint and Grandma Reda in April!

Here's a photo of Liam at one month old.

Our little "Buddy", as the girls call him.

Birthday Video for Brady

Happy 6th Birthday to my nephew, Brady!

The girls made a little birthday video for him to make up for the fact that his card will be arriving quite a bit late. (Sorry about that!)

We wish we could have been there to watch you blow out your candles, Brady!! Hope you had a very special day!

P.S. It's hard to tell but Liam is wearing the outfit from Josh, April and Taylor.

Here's a better shot. It is so cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In keeping with our annual Valentine's Day tradition, Dave and I spent a relaxing morning getting massages. It's hard to believe that this is our eighth Valentine's Day together!

Seven years ago, Dave proposed to me over Valentine's weekend in Napa, CA. It was perfect... massages in the morning, then exploring the quaint shops while sipping coffee and then a wonderful dinner. After dinner, Dave took me outside to a bench in the light drizzle and proposed.

I still remember calling my dad to share the good news with him and hearing his response,"Have you been drinking?"

Tonight we are celebrating by taking the girls out for pizza at their favorite place, Poopsie's. (It's actually our favorite place too, so that works out well!) Liam will be staying with Omi so we'll have some special time with the girls.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Proud big sister

Amanda has a very special bond with Liam already.

She loves to hold him, rock him, sing made-up songs to him, and hold his hand during diaper changes.

She has nothing but patience and love for him. It is so awesome to witness.

The proud look on her face in the photo below says it all. In fact, Liam looks quite happy himself.


Best of all are the dialogues... err, monologues... that she has with him. They are priceless.

Today during Quiet Time, I managed to catch part of it.

Help me choose!

They are predicting a big snowstorm for us today, 6-10" last I heard. As a precautionary measure, they announced an "early release" for the public schools, which meant no preschool for Amanda.

One of our babysitters called and asked if she could come over to visit since she had most of the day free. That was a welcome surprise since we hadn't seen her in a month! She brought gifts for all three kids and even got to feed Liam a bottle.

I wanted to get a current photo of Caroline with the kids, since the last one she had given to us as a gift was from when Eva was only a few months old.

The problem is, I can't decide which one I should have framed. As you can see, Eva was not very cooperative, which has become the norm lately! Liam and Amanda, on the other hand, were quite happy to pose.

So, which one do you like best? (Click to enlarge.)

#1

#2

#3

#4

More Photos

There is nothing more peaceful than watching a sleeping baby. And with the amount of time Liam sleeps, we have an abundance of sleeping baby photos!

10 days old already!

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The baby gifts just keep rolling in each day and the girls couldn't be happier to reveal the surprises in each package.

Eva looks over the gift basket we received from Dave's company, complete with every conceivable baby item under the sun!

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Here's a random shot taken by Amanda the other day.

I love the look on Liam's face. Is he cute or what!?

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It's never too early to start StoryTime and Liam has already shown an interest in listening to stories. Whether it's Mama, Daddy or Amanda reading them, he usually has his eyes open and is alert, which is saying quite a lot.

Unfortunately Liam may have to settle for Angelina Ballerina and Fancy Nancy books until he's old enough to choose his own.

ATTN: Dad and Reda - Thank You Video

First of all, we want to wish Grandma Reda a very happy birthday! Hope you have a special day!

Secondly, we would like to thank everyone for your cards and packages. Getting the mail this past week has been quite a bit of fun because there always seems to be some type of surprise waiting for us!

The girls were especially thrilled with the package from Grandpa Clint and Grandma Reda, and have discovered a new favorite treat: Gummy Lifesavers! (Personally, I was most grateful for the Lindt truffles!!)

Dad and Reda, here is their thank you video to you: