Liam Michael you are
How did another month go by already? Mommy sometimes wants to just freeze time and keep you this small forever!
What are your
stats and what does the
doctor say?
At your doctor's appointment on July 1st you weighed
13 pounds and were
23 inches long. You are in the 75% for weight. Dr. G and I talked all about how you had been doing since our last visit and he was super happy with how you looked and sounded. We talked about
swimming (you can go in the ocean and the pool on vacation!), how much you are
eating and sleeping, and about using some different products on your skin because you have a very mild case of eczema. You also got
three shots and one oral vaccine. You did pretty well and only cried when the needles went in (so did Mommy!). You were super tired that afternoon and little fussy that night, but overall you did very well. Your hair is still
blond and your eyes are a
steel blue color.
War wounds. Good thing you have chubby thighs.
What are you eating?
You are eating 6 four-ounce bottles of Similac Advance formula a day and you usually have 1 two-ounce bottle after your bath before you go to sleep. Because you are sleeping longer at night, sometimes it is hard to fit all six bottles in your day. We are going to be starting to give you five-ounce bottles soon and hopefully going down to five bottles a day.
When do you
sleep and
eat?
You are still a great sleeper! You are sleeping
7 to 8 hours a night and have had some nights lately where you slept for more than 9 hours! You usually wake up
around 6ish, have a bottle, play for an hour or so, and go back to sleep until 8:30 or 9. You eat again around and then we play for a while on your mat or in your bouncy chair. Mommy tries to sneak a shower for herself in here too! If we are going out during the day, Mommy tries to do it during this time before your next bottle; otherwise we wait until after the bottle you have around noontime. Sometimes you take a long nap after this bottle, but lately you have wanted to take a quick nap and then be awake for a while. Another bottle between 2:30 and 3:00 and then some stories and another short nap. You are usually awake when Mommy and Daddy eat dinner and we try to time that around your 6:00 bottle (or whenever Daddy gets home from work...lately that has been very late and sometimes you are in bed before he gets home). Sometimes you doze off after this bottle, but you are usually very awake during this time and sometimes a little fussy (but we still love you lots!). We squeeze in another bottle between 8:30 and 9:00 before we start getting ready for bed. You are a very loud sleeper and make lots of noises before you fully wake up, but you are always very happy once you are all the way awake.
Those crinkly eyed smiles just make Mommy's heart melt.
What do your
routines look like?
During the day, we don't have a set nap schedule set up just yet, although your first nap of the day is often in your bouncy seat. You usually fall asleep in your carseat anytime Mommy takes you out to run errands. You like to help Mommy
water the flowers. You hang out in your baby carrier and usually fall asleep in the later afternoon when we give the flowers their drinks. You are still getting a
bath every night and you just love that time. You could be super fussy right before and the minute you get in the water, you are a happy camper. You love to splash and get water everywhere! We usually start this around 9:15 or whenever you have settled down after your last bottle. Dr. G. said to start backing up bath time about 5-10 minutes every week in the hopes of getting you to sleep earlier every night so you are sleeping 10-12 hours at night by 4-5 months. After your bath, you still get a little
baby massage with lotion and then
swaddled. You get a 1-2 ounce
bottle and then we read a
story before you go to sleep in the Rock 'n Play.
You're outgrowing this tub already!
What
size clothes and
diapers are you wearing?
You are wearing mostly
3 month clothes and a few
0-3 month clothes still fit you. Mommy put a 6 month onesie on you this week and it definitely wasn't too big! You are wearing size 1 diapers but we will be moving into size 2 soon.
What are some things you
love?
You love to be
moving, whether it's in your stroller or carseat or walking with Mommy in the carrier. You are always
kicking your legs and
moving your arms. Mommy and Daddy are in big trouble when you start crawling and walking! You still love your
playmat and have started to notice all the toys hanging on it now. You love to watch the
fan spin when you are laying on the playmat. You are so happy on your
changing mat when we just let you hang out there. You laugh and talk to us before your diaper gets changed. You also love to find your
hands and put them in your mouth. You are getting much better at figuring that out and using them to help you soothe yourself. You love to
stretch your arms and legs, especially when you are waking up. You also really like to hang out on your
Boppy pillow when Mommy is working on the computer.
What are some things you
don't love?
You are not thrilled when Mommy makes you have
tummy time. You tend to only last a few minutes before you start getting annoyed that you can't move. You are still very
hot all the time and are not happy if you can't cool down. You don't like having your
movement restricted, like when we strap you in your carseat or swaddle you. You like being in your carseat and being swaddled once the process is done, but you don't like the initial restriction of your stretching.
What can you
do?
You are such a happy baby and have given us lots of
social smiles. You are
"talking" to us with coos and noises all the time and love to participate in conversations. You can find your
hands and put them in your mouth with much greater accuracy. You seem to have a preference for your left hand, which Mommy loves! Your
head and neck control has greatly increased and you turn your head from side to side with little support. You turn your head and eyes to
follow sounds and objects. You keep a
tight grasp on anything placed in your hands and love grabbing Mommy's shirt and hair when she is holding you.
Your big brother left you a few presents the other morning.
Where have you
gone?
Well, you survived your big trip to
Chicago last month and were a big hit at Auntie Nic and Uncle Brian's wedding. You also went to visit your great-great aunt Eleanor in Columbus, OH on the way home. You like to run errands with Mommy and we joined a moms group with lots of other babies your age. Another big road trip is planned in a couple of weeks!
What have you
celebrated?
You celebrated your first holiday yesterday on the 4th of July. You went to a cookout and slept the whole time. It was so gross and hot outside that Mommy decided we should leave early because you were a sweaty monster but you did so well in the heat. Plus, you looked pretty darn adorable in your outfit. We also celebrated Nana's birthday yesterday. You wanted to help her eat her donut cake!
Not a care in the world.
Oh just wait until you can have donut cake. It's kinda a tradition round these parts.
Who has
visited and
watched you?
You met Auntie Nic and Uncle Brian, along with their families while we were in Chicago. Nana has gotten to spend lots of time with you (she was a big help on our Chicago trip) and Gramma and Poppa have visited from Maine.
What was Mommy's
Mother of the Year moment this month?
The other day we went for a long walk with our mommy friends and their babies. Mommy attached the carseat to the stroller for our walk. Because you don't like to be strapped in unless you have to be, Mommy unhooked all the straps while we were walking. When it was time to go back in the car, Mommy put your seat in the base in the car. Mommy looked back at you after about a block and realized
she had never strapped you back in! Cue panic and looking for a quick place to pull over to fix that major problem. Thank goodness we have a mirror in the car so Mommy could see her huge mistake. Great mommy over here!
What are some of your
nicknames?
Liam
Love, Bug, Mr. Man, Doodles, Lovebug, Little Man, Cookie, Pumpkin, Bubba.
And here are some pictures from our photo shoot this morning...
You are truly a miracle, little boy, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives. Mommy and Daddy could not love you more and it is so fun watching your personality develop. Can't wait to see what the next month holds!
