9 Months Old

Liam turned 9 months old on Sunday. Where did the time go?! We have one word to describe him at this age... BUSY. This child seems to have a long list of things to do in any given moment, and he is rather determined to accomplish them! Gone are the days of quiet cuddling... if he's lying down, he wants to sit up; if sitting up he wants to crawl; and if crawling, he wants to pull himself up on anything and everything-- including pant legs.

First of all, he finally figured out how to crawl on all fours. He reverts to the commando crawl downstairs on the hard floors (too slippery!) but upstairs he pulls that belly off the ground. Here he is on Saturday morning going after my camera case.

Bring on the baby gate... Liam has also discovered the steps. And he is rather determined to use them! He had the right general idea but obviously needed some help (and close supervision).

Liam is also a fan of sorting and stacking, especially with his ring toy. He will busy himself for a surprisingly long time putting rings on and taking them back off again. Here he is playing in his adorable shirt from our friends Becky, Pat, and Elisa-- can't wait to see them in a few weeks!:

I took him to his 9-month check-up yesterday... he is in the 75th percentile in height at 29" and 95th percentile in weight at 24 lbs. 7 oz. We have to go back right after Christmas for his second seasonal flu shot. Merry Christmas to you, buddy!

We're off to Nana and Grandpa's on Wednesday and are looking forward to Liam's first Thanksgiving on Thursday!

Sunny Sunday

As many of you experienced, this past Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day-- bright, sunny, and surprisingly warm (hello mid-November?!). Although we had a slow start with an awesomely lazy morning...



... (seriously, those two napped like this for over an hour and a half!) we took full advantage of the nice weather by spending all afternoon outside. Granted, the majority of that time was spent doing yardwork, but you didn't hear us complaining!

Liam was pretty fascinated by the lawnmower, so Daddy let him help for a little while:



"Hey, that was fun!"



By the way, this is Liam's new mega-smile, which he saves for special occasions such as:
1) getting in and out of the Bjorn
2) being carried into the bathroom for bathtime (which is the start of the bedtime routine)
3) seeing Mommy walk into Miss Doreen's to pick him up in the evening
4) hearing the sound that is made when you shake his canister of cereal puffs
5) watching a handful of cereal puffs being put onto his high chair tray

When he busts that one out, you know he's really really excited!

After "mowing", Liam played in his ExerSaucer on the front porch while I pulled weeds:



"Hey, that's fun too!"



Trust me, buddy-- you won't think it's so fun when it's your turn.

Liam's 9-month check-up is on Monday morning... wish us luck!

Fun at the Park

We had a stretch of beautiful weather lately, so while Daddy had to work on Saturday, Liam and I went to the park down the street. My secret motive was to tire him out so he'd nap, but no such luck! We discovered the culprit to his weekend wakefulness last night... Tooth # 8 has arrived. Anyway, here's Liam playing on the swings:

As you can see, he is sporting his big blue slippers at the park, since we lost one of his shoes at Wegman's the weekend before. We didn't realize it was gone until we were getting the car, which was also the exact moment when Liam was informing us that it was clearly time for his dinner. One week and a trip to the Wegman's Lost and Found later, his shoes have happily reunited.

I snapped this shot of Liam as we were loading up our groceries on Sunday. He loves his "Quiet Book" that we got from my college roommate Shane. He turns and studies the pages so seriously that it really looks like he is "reading". (PS- we do not leave home without this book, especially if we are going to church! It is a great way to keep our busy boy nice and occupied.)

Also had to post a couple of photos of Liam supporting the Phillies in the World Series last week. This shirt earned him the name "Chase" for the day, which is also a good word to describe what one must do when watching him:

Can anyone tell me why they make back pockets (especially with flaps) for baby pants, anyway? Those suckers just won't stay down!

"What? Should I not eat this coaster?"

Couldn't Resist...

2 more Halloween pics, just sent to us from Cathleen. She was the only one who managed to snap a shot of him smiling in that getup!

Liam's 1st Halloween

Happy Halloween, everybody!

We had a great time celebrating Liam's first Halloween. Before getting ready to party, we snapped a quick shot of him in his adorable festive outfit that he received from Aunt Vicki and Uncle Dick:



Then it was costume time!



Yes, Liam was a St. Bernard for Halloween. It was like he turned into a big stuffed animal for a few hours, which is one way to make an adorable kid even more adorable! The downside? It was 70 degrees out, and the poor kid was sweating in there. We had to strip him down to a short-sleeved onesie and socks, and even then he was still pretty toasty!

We made a few stops "trick-or-treating" to see friends in our neighborhood, and then it was off to visit Miss Doreen and Mr. Sam:



...followed by a visit to Cousin Tom & Mollie's house:



...where our little puppy got to hang out with their dog Buster. Did I mention Liam loves dogs?! (hint hint, Daddy!)



We also stopped by to visit Aunt Gretchen, who was getting ready to cheer on the Phillies in the World Series:



Last but not least, the "Ski Patrol" went to our friends Marc and Cathleen's house for a Halloween party:



Liam was a true puppy there, playing ball on the floor with Cathleen:



He was pretty fascinated by this costume (can you blame him? We were just relieved that he wasn't scared!):



Liam was such a trooper in that get-up and did a great job putting up with us running all over the place. Needless to say, he slept well last night and put the extra hour for Daylight Savings to good use!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Daddy's birthday was Tuesday, and we had a great time celebrating as a little family! The festivities started after we got home from work, when Dad bravely gave Liam his dinner in his work clothes. How cute are these two?!



Liam had to miss out on the annual birthday meatloaf this year (don't ask if you don't already know...), but he seemed just tickled with the birthday green beans. I can't believe he let us put that hat on his head, let alone keep it there!



As we have come to find out about our little guy, he loves a party. This picture says it all:



Liam got Daddy the new Alice in Chains CD (and seemed quite pleased with himself). What a thoughtful little shopper!



Daddy also received a very cool Yuengling beer stein from Grandma and Papa, which was such a great surprise:

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Atlantic City

Mommy had a conference in Atlantic City this past week, so Liam and Nana came along to enjoy the boardwalk and the beautiful weather. Thank goodness Nana is on sabbatical this year! The conference and our hotel stay were both at the Trump Plaza, and Liam seemed to enjoy his stay. Here he is in his crib, where he held non-stop practice of his standing-up skills (too bad that's pretty much all he did in his crib...):




He was so proud every time he'd work his way up that he even showed off some of those teeth:



Ocean view from our room:



Liam and Nana had so much fun together during the day while Mommy was at the conference. We had weather in the 70s, so they were able to get out and enjoy the sunshine and boardwalk sights. He loved the music outside all the casinos, and especially the water show on Caesar's Pier. As I mentioned, Liam unfortunately didn't sleep very well at night, as he is dealing with ear infections again and a yucky cold (which we all have...). But he at least seemed happy and comfortable during the day! Here he is on the boardwalk:



Liam is also learning to feed himself a little, starting with some cereal puffs. He is totally enthralled, although not entirely successful. We apologize to the cafe staff at the Trump for the aftermath of our breakfast there! Anyway, here's Liam chowing down in his fancy chair in our room:

Great big thanks to Nana for joining us on our little trip and for taking such good care of Liam!