A few pics from home

Well, another week has gone by. Liam had his one-month checkup with the pediatrician last week; he has grown an inch in length and is up over 12 lbs in weight. He is a healthy baby and is starting to give us a real workout to carry him around!

We went back to the mommy and baby group at the hospital last Thursday with my friend from work who is also on maternity leave, and Liam had a great time with his new his new little friend. I also took Liam for his first trip to Villanova where he met many of my co-workers; he loved being held and cuddled by everyone in the office!

Here are a few recent pics:

Liam showing his Hokie pride for Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie-- love those little birdie feet!


Lately, Liam has been wanting to be held often-- it is definitely his preferred way to fall asleep. Case in point with Daddy:


... And with Mommy too! The apple does not fall far as we are both catching flies in our sleep.


On Sunday, we had some severe storms come through our area. Luckily we didn't get it that bad, and we were even treated to a rainbow!



Liam's latest tricks include smiling more (although it magically disappears when the camera comes out!), pushing off our laps with his legs, and some short stints in his Bumbo seat:

This is a classic Liam look: "I'm hungry!!"

Surefire way to get Liam to take a decent nap: put him in his bouncer, swaddle him tight, and be sure to leave some room at the top for him to burrow his face down inside. Don't worry, there is plenty of space between him and the blanket, but there is something about that coziness that he just loves! Here is our favorite little burrito:


Last but not least, a cutie-pie pic before heading outside for a walk:

One Month Old

Time flies when you're having fun... and when all your days and nights run together! We can't believe Liam is already one month old today. He is growing so fast! He is 11 lbs and 6 oz as of Friday and has officially outgrown all of his newborn clothes.

We are getting out more and more, finally making our first appearance at church today where Liam did great! He slept through the whole mass (even though it was dangerously close to his lunch time...) and got to meet the choir afterwards. It's nice to get out in public once in a while!

Liam is getting a little easier to read, so we're finding his schedule slightly more predictable and definitely more manageable... knock on wood. We're having so much fun with the little guy! He is responding more and more to us-- he even smiled at one of his daddy's jokes (unfortunately, he was the only one!).

Here are a few new pics:

This was the outfit that was so big on him when we were discharged from the hospital. It fits his great now! Thanks Nana and Grandpa!

Playing on the Boppy with dad:

Liam fell asleep on my lap the other day, and his pose reminded me of that picture I took from the hospital the day he was born. It really made me realize how much he has changed!

Liam is picking up his head more (and starting to push off with his legs, too). Dad tried to get a picture of him with his head up on the mat, but this was the closest he got. Maybe next time!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day, everybody! Liam was feeling festive this morning in his new duds from Grandma, which he'll wear to cheer on the Irish in the NIT tonight:





Liam just started smiling this week, which I finally (kind of) caught on camera:

We celebrated my big 3-0 this weekend, starting with a surprise from Anthony: he took Friday off work! And with that came the fabulous gift of a little extra sleep while they made breakfast. Here is Liam helping Dad in the kitchen:

Liam even got me a birthday card-- how thoughtful! :)

Quality time just hanging out:

Later that afternoon, we took Liam out to the KoP mall-- he did awesome, and it was so good to get out for a little while! Here he is in the car on our way:

Spring is springing! These flowers first started to come up the weekend that Liam was born:

Nana and Grandpa came over the weekend to visit and to be Liam's first babysitters so that mom and dad could sneak away on Saturday for a birthday dinner out. Here we are on our way out (trying not to look as excited as we admittedly were!):



We came home after dinner to find happy grandparents and a sleeping baby. Hooray!!


On Sunday, we all went with Aunt Gretchen out to Kildare's for brunch. Liam enjoyed (mostly through the backs of his eyelids) his first trip to an Irish pub:


Last night, we introduced his first bottle to start to train him for when I go back to work. He was pretty confused to be getting the same meal from a very different source, but he ended up taking it anyway. Hunger prevails!

Some family and some firsts

We have had a busy few days! On Sunday, my aunt and cousins who live here in town came over to meet Liam (and to seriously stock our fridge! We LOVE you guys!!). We had a great dinner together and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Here are my cousins Caitlyn and Maura holding Liam:


When I go back to work, Liam will get to spend lots of time with Caitlyn and Maura when they get home from school, because they will all be at the same sitter. Word on the street is that he will be the first boy in 6 years with Miss Doreen, so he will be surrounded by the ladies!

Here is my Aunt Gretchen with Liam:


After getting countless recommendations, we finally watched "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD, and Daddy didn't waste any time utilizing the method. He even found a clever way to get white noise-- the baby monitor! Here is a happy Papa with his very calm son:



On Wednesday night, Liam had his first bath in his little tub. As expected, he hated it. He does, however, seem to like (or at least tolerate) getting his fuzzy hair washed! Here is the token bath shot (sorry kiddo! Every parent has to have one!):

We survived! A triumphant Momma with her exhausted-from-crying boy: (PS- the bath apron is genius! Definitely recommend to infant bathers everywhere.)

Today, Liam and I had our first outing together in the car. We went to the hospital where Liam was born, where they offer a weekly mom and baby group, with free weigh-ins for breastfed babies and time with a lactation consultant. Wow, were there a lot of babies there! Liam was fascinated! He made some new friends, Joanie and Noelle, and I enjoyed some grown-up conversations with their moms.

At Liam's weigh-in, we were excited to find out that he had gained a full 2 pounds from his birth weight and is now 10 lbs 4 oz! Mommy learned a new lesson about getting a baby boy weighed (for which he can be in nothing but his birthday suit)-- be armed immediately with a diaper when he comes off the scale. And pack a change of clothes just in case! We learned this one the hard way...

Liam was so good for the whole trip, up until we got in the car to come home, which was when his major meltdown hit. And as luck would have it, right before we pulled in the driveway, he had cried himself to sleep. I managed to get him back in the house more or less undisturbed but couldn't bring myself to wrestle him out of his outerwear (which, believe it or not, actually fits-- you just wouldn't know it from this picture!):

Our First Walk!

It is a beautiful day in KoP-- the snow is melting, and it's almost 70 degrees out! We decided to take advantage of the weather and go for our first walk. Liam slept through most of it, but the neighbors loved seeing him for the first time and welcoming him to Beidler Knoll!

Here are a few photos of the occasion:

Liam has a new favorite pasttime: staring at the patterns and animals on his crib bedding! Although he isn't sleeping there just yet, he will spend a good amount of time in quiet observation while Mommy gets some laundry done in the next room:

This one made me laugh-- Liam looks like he's saying, "What?! You gonna mess with ME?!"

A great gift from cousins Melissa, Eric, and Anya in Portland-- a new swaddle wrap with his name on it! It took no time at all for Liam to express his gratitude (for which his parents are quite grateful...)

What a bunch of comedians. We received a surprise in the mail from Andy and Joe German yesterday-- Daddy LOVED it (or maybe just loved to hate it??) We are embarrassed to say that Liam now officially has more Illini gear than ND. We better get shopping!

Liam at 13 days old:

Snowy Days and Sleepless Nights

It has been a busy few days! Little Liam, God love him, has been exhausting us with a little "day/night confusion"-- keeping us up every hour of the night and sleeping like a rock during the day. This started just after his grandparents all left (cursing us by saying, "He's such a content baby!" Famous last words!) and just before Daddy had to go back to work. I learned quickly to change my schedule to fit his, so I'm sleeping a lot during the day so I can hang in there at night. Dad has been great by getting up very early in the morning to take over just as I am out of steam. We are praying Liam adjusts soon!

In the meantime, the Philly area got smacked with a big snowstorm on Sunday and Monday, so on top of very little sleep, Anthony had to also be outside shoveling our walks and digging out the cars. I don't know how he pulled off a full day of work after that!

So despite the schedule issues, Liam is doing great. He loves his "Baby Einstein" gym mat and has even started batting at some of the little toys that hang from it. At 4 days old, he even turned from his tummy to his back (likely just a fluke, but we were proud anyway!). He is lifting his head on his own more and more when he is on his tummy, and he LOVES to sleep with his hands at his face. He is trying hard to suck his fingers-- and will no doubt take after both of his parents in that regard.

Here is Liam in his first blue outfit, thanks to Tim and Jackie! It is so fun to now be getting little boy clothes!



A little family portrait:



Sorry Liam, we could not resist! This child has some insanely long toes! Even the nurses at the hospital commented, "Is that your son in the nursery with the really long toes?!" He definitely takes after his father.



Liam hanging with 3 out of 4 of his grandparents on Saturday. What a lucky guy to have so many loving arms to hold him! He can't wait to meet his Papa R when we go to Illinois in April.

On Sunday, some of my friends from York came by to meet Liam. Here is Desiree introducing Liam to her son, Landon:

My friend Heather checking him out:

And Liam checking them out back!

One last snuggle with Grandma before her flight on Sunday. Liam loved his time with her!

Chilling on his gym mat, one of Liam's favorite pasttimes:

A very rare photo these days:

Liam received his first package yesterday-- a great surprise from Aunt Vicki! Included was this adorable romper, which he can't wait to be big enough to wear:

Liam looks more and more like his Daddy every day!