BIG NEWS...Jude is Walking!!...YAY!...and Liam got shots...Boo

On March 12th, Jude started walking! It was really shocking because up until this point he had only taken 1 or 2 steps on his own (I think Jeremy got him to take 3 before he realized he was walking and he immediately sat down.). So, last Thursday he just let go of the couch, turned around, clapped his hands and proceeded to walk across the entire living room. Wow. I guess he wanted to wait until he could really do some serious walking. Yeah, he is 17 months but come on, there is something to be said for walking across the entire living room on your first try. ;) He then continued to walk for basically the rest of the evening. He loves it! He even dances some and claps for himself...no shame. ;) Luckily, we were able to get it on video tape (not the very first walk but the next 20 minutes or so) so we will post a snip it of that hopefully by tomorrow. For now, enjoy the still shots of our little walking man!

The other news is that Liam got his first set of shots yesterday. It was a sad day. So, this was kind of frustrating, I read a medical study, published in JAMA so pretty legitimate, that said babies who breastfeed while getting shots experienced a lot less pain. So, I asked the doc if I could do that and he said yeah but of course he didn't tell the nurse so when she came in, she was like no. And, being the chicken that I am, I didn't push the issue. But, next time I will. I'll let you know how that goes...;) I made the huge mistake of not giving Jude Tylenol before his first shots and the poor little guy was miserable. His legs were red and swollen and he wouldn't let me put him down for the entire night. So, needless to say, I gave Liam Tylenol. These went a lot better than Jude's first shots. He was a tiny bit fussy but really he's just been more sleepy than usual. That has allowed me to get the house clean though so I'm not complaining. ;) Liam's weight was 10 lbs 8 oz and his height was 21.75 in! He is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 10th percentile for length. I think the difference between the weight that Liam gained and the weight that Jude gained (or should I say did not gain) was due to my ability to stay home this time, which has been amazing by the way. It is so much easier when you don't have to go back to school in 2 weeks...imagine that. ;) Well, I put some more pics of Liam up along with Jude. Enjoy!

More pictures of Jude and Liam

Liam's photo shoot-March 11th, 2009

What a cutie smile! March 8th, 2009

Jude was cute, he tried to get into his rocking chair by himself but it wasn't working out too well. He then kept pointing to the hat and saying, "hat, hat" so that I would put it on his head. So, he just sat there and rocked with his hat on...ADORABLE!

March 8th, 2009

Liam playing on his play mat-March 2nd, 2009

He now watches the animals when I put them relatively close. He likes to watch them and listen to them rattle.

Jude eating out of a bowl without immediately turning it over and throwing it on the ground! This is a big step...come on, get excited!

February 16th, 2009

A Catch-Up Blog of Jude and Liam

Liam drying off and recuperating from his first bath...it was traumatic!

Jude's first bath in the big boy tub! January 31st, 2009

Liam's first bath-January 27th, 2009

More of the first bath...

January 25th, 2009


Sorry it's been so long since the last post...things have been busy around here! I have been having so much fun with Liam and it has been such an amazing privilege to be able to stay home with him during this crucial time in his life. He has been gaining weight like crazy and I feel it is because I have been able to stay home with him and nurse him on demand. My milk supply had a hard time keeping up with Jude since I left him at such an early age so he was slow to gain weight. But, he did have Jeremy to stay with him so that was a blessing. This time, it's my turn! Liam has been such a blessing to our lives...it is so much easier the second time around! I don't second guess everything I am doing like I did with Jude and I am a lot less stressed...not because Jude wasn't good because he was a great baby but mostly because I am not in school right now. I don't get so mad during those times when Liam just wants to wake up and hang out with me for 2 hours at 4 am. ;) How can you be mad at a face like that??

We officially moved out of our apartment on the 21st of Feb. It was bittersweet because we loved our apartment and especially our neighbors and dear friends Brent and Ginger. It is so sad to not have them right next door anymore. But, we did really need the space and we love our new home. We have a lake right across the street from us with Canadian geese and mallard ducks. It is so much fun to bring the boys over there to see the ducks. Aunt Janet funded a double jogging stroller so we go for walks atleast once a day. I have also been taking it jogging and it is great for that. The kids love it. Everyone looks at us and says how cute the boys are...I think they are really wondering what kind of psychiatric illness I have that would cause me to have two boys that close together. ;) I am loving having this time to just be a wife and a mom though so I really haven't felt overwhelmed with the whole thing. Being in our new house helps too so that we aren't so cramped. I know my dad would not believe this but I have really enjoyed being able to do yard work again! All those years of helping dad must have paid off. ;) Whenever Liam sleeps I run out and do a little something until he wakes up. I can't wait to plant flowers. Our new house has a deck out back too that will be perfect for grilling out and just spending time outdoors.

Enjoy the pics of the boys!! I will post some of the new house as soon as things are in order enough for me to take pictures. ;)

Jude and Liam - the First Weekend Home

It is our first weekend home with both of our boys! It is so great to be home. Liam has been doing great...mostly eating and sleeping of course. He slept a ton last night which was great. And nope, I did not wake him up to eat every 3 hours...I slept as well. ;) Just don't tell my pediatrician that. Jude discovered Liam's pacifier so for the past hour he has been crawling around the house with it in his mouth. He finally stopped sucking on it about 5 minutes ago. I think it was just a fun thing to find for him, I don't think it will stick. He never took a pacifier before so I doubt he will start now. Liam likes his baby papasan and he likes the vibrating feature on it. He sat in there for about 20 minutes today just looking around. He is such a good baby. Jude has been really good this weekend too...the past week was a little rough though for some unknown reason. I don't know if child care was just wearing him out or what. My classmates have been bringing us dinner for the past week which has been awesome! Now, starting tonight, our church's care team is bringing us dinners. I am not going to remember how to cook or grocery shop. ;) It has seriously been such a blessing to us though...we are so grateful for the wonderful friends that we have.

Jude's First Time at the Zoo-December 26, 2008

I just realized I never put the pictures of Jude at the Brevard Zoo up. He absolutely loved it! He loved the girafftes and the aviary. He keep swatting at the giraffes because that is his way of petting them. They didn't seem to mind as long as we continued to give them food. He was laughing at them; it was so cute. We went with Grandpa Gary, Uncle Chris, Aunt Karen, Mommy and Daddy. Here are a few pictures...

Welcome Home Liam!! - January 18, 2009

We are home! Liam's bili was 10.4 which was still ok to let him go with. Our nurse was so awesome, she was a major advocate for us and she really helped the nurse practitioner see that we could handle going home. The drive home was funny because Liam was the most awake I had ever seen him. He kept his eyes wide open the whole time and he didn't make a peep. Maybe we will have one kid who likes the car. ;) When we got home, I fed Liam and then put him down in his bassinet. Of course, he is a night baby so he woke up basically every hour to an hour and a half to eat but I was just happy to be able to hold him in my arms in our own home! Since bringing him home, he continues to sleep most of the day and is up a lot of the night but I am working on correcting that. Hopefully he will learn soon. ;) We went to the pediatrician today and they made us get another bili drawn. This one was 13.6 which is still ok so they didn't make us get anymore phototherapy. We have to get it rechecked Thurs though. He is 5 lb 15 ounces which means his feedings are going well. He is just so tiny. I know Jude was that small but it is hard for me to remember that for some reason. Every time I go to pick up his car seat with him in it I about throw it up to the ceiling because I am expecting it to be as heavy as Jude is now. Jude absolutely loves Liam, he just cracks up at him the whole time. He gets mad when we won't let him poke or pet Liam hard though. So, we are working on that. ;) I think he is going to be a great big brother though. Tonight is my first night alone with Liam and Jude so we will see how it goes. Liam sleeps so much that it should be fine though. Thanks so much for all of your help and prayers!

Day 7 of Life Outside the Womb-Liam

Baby Liam heading home from the hospital!!

Today is Sunday. I was woken up at 7 am to the sound of the nurse bringing Liam to me! He is in an open crib now and his bili was down to 8 so he doesn't have to be under lights anymore. He is able to stay in here with me now. It is so great to see him in a normal environment. He has a scalp IV though for his antibiotics but the last dose is at 9 pm tonight. They said they wanted to keep him for another night so that they can check his bili in the morning but I asked the nurse practitioner if I can just follow up at the doctor's office because 8 is really low. She said they will just recheck it tonight and if it is ok, they are going to discharge us after his last dose of antibiotics at 9 pm. I am so ready to be home!!! This has been the best day. Having Liam in the room with me makes all the difference in the world. I just keep holding him and feeding him, it is great! Jude and Jeremy came and visited and Jude was laughing at the baby. He kept trying to poke him though and pet him like Eli. It was really funny. It seems like he likes him as of now. ;) The great thing is that tomorrow is a holiday for Jeremy and Jude so we will all be home together for a day. Tuesday though I will have both boys all night until around 11 pm...I am a little nervous about that but I guess I better get used to it. Liam sleeps so much right now that it probably won't matter. I am just so thankful that I have 8 weeks off! It feels so great to know that. So, it looks like we should be heading home tonight as long as the bili is stable. Thanks so much for all of your support and prayers!