The One with the Thirteen Month Update

Yea, I'm super late on this one.  Chasing after a 13 month old is exhausting!

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Liam Michael you are

THIRTEEN MONTHS OLD!

Kid, you are a one-man comedy show, wrecking ball, and Energizer bunny all wrapped into one!

What are your stats and what does the doctor say?

We don't go back to see Dr. G. until August but I'm guessing you are around 27 pounds.  You don't seem to have gotten too much taller based on how your pants are fitting, but you are looking so much more like a toddler every day.  You have a whole head full of blond hair and Daddy keeps talking about getting you a hair cut (not happening!).

What are you eating?

You continue to be an eating machine and will shovel just about anything we give you into your mouth.  This month, Mommy gave you a few more "unhealthy" choices for foods while we were eating at some restaurants.  You had chowder and clam cakes, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, kielbasa, and hot dogs.  You also tried your first taste of donut cake at your birthday party.  Fruit continues to be your favorite thing to eat, but you do still love hummus, macaroni, meatballs, and peanut butter.  After your one-year wellness visit with Dr. G. we go the go ahead to try whole milk and we haven't looked back since.  You now get one 6-ounce bottle of whole milk in the morning when you first wake up and one 6-ounce bottle of whole milk before bed.  You have sippy or straw cups of milk with your meals and water in between.

When do you sleep and eat?

Ever since you started walking (and trying to run most days!), your sleeping habits during the day have really changed.  You are typically awake between 6:00 and 6:30 most mornings and you have your bottle with Mommy in your room.  Your breakfast is usually around 7:45-8:00, depending on what time you get up.  On most days, you are ready for a nap between 9:30 and 10:00.  This nap is now at least an hour in length (and you slept for 3 hours the other day!), but can sometimes be closer to two hours depending on how tired you are.  You have lunch around noontime and take another nap by 2:30ish on most days.  If you take a longer nap in the morning, you have been known to skip an afternoon nap...makes the early evenings before bed time suuuper fun!  We have dinner between 5:30 and 6:00 and you are still asleep by 7:30 most nights.

What size clothes and diapers are you wearing?

You are wearing 18 month and 18-24 month clothes, although a few 12-18 month clothes do still fit.  You are still in size 4 Pampers Cruisers during the day.  We switched to size 5 Huggies Overnites at night and added an extra absorbency pad inside the diaper.  You have been leak-free since then.

What are some things you love?

You love to move everywhere and have taken to running around the house whenever you can.  You absolutely LOVE being outside and got some great new toys for playing outside for your birthday.  You are obsessed with the timer on the kitchen stove and will sit and stare at it while it counts down from a minute.  You are taking more of an interest in books lately and will bring them to us to read to you.  You still love to drive Max crazy and try to "play" ball with him regularly.  Everything still goes in your mouth and you still love the top to Nana's cup, the spatulas and spoons, and the dog's toys.  You enjoy making noise of any sort - screeching, screaming, or banging being at the top of your list.  You like to dance to the music channel on TV and always love to roll around on Mommy and Daddy's bed.  You love the water and think dumping Max's water bowl out is a game.

What are some things you don't love?

There honestly isn't too much that you don't like, except when told no when there is something that you really want (case in point - the picture below).  You can get awfully wiggly and crabby on the changing table, making diaper changes a bit of a challenge lately.  You do not like time out and are starting to learn the concept of consequences.

All because Mommy told you not to eat the soap.

What can you do?

You have learned a lot of new things this month in the language department (although you are not saying actual words).  You can wave hi and bye and will share an object when we ask you to.  You can now sign "please" and will do it constantly to show us that you want something.  You are able to squat down to pick something up.  You will hold our hand and bring us to what you want (like jumping on the bed).

What are you saying?

You have started to say mama more, but we still aren't quite sure you understand the meaning behind it.  You are trying to get words out and will attempt to repeat a sound after we say it, but I wouldn't say there are any actual words yet.  You can still follow simple commands and understand a lot of what we say - especially if we mention going outside or in the stroller!

How many teeth do you have?

I think you may hold the record for the most teeth coming in at one time.  While we knew that two molars were coming in at the beginning of the month, we were shocked to find out that all four molars were coming in at once!  You handled it like a champ and now have 12 teeth!

What are some firsts from this month?

You celebrated your first birthday with a big party with all our family and friends.  You went for your first ride in your tricycle.  

What are some of your nicknames?

Swiper, Mr. Man, Liam Michael, Stinker

What are we looking forward to in the next month?

We will be celebrating Father's Day with a special weekend for Daddy.  We will also be going to Connecticut to celebrate Uncle R.J.'s graduation and you will also celebrate the 4th of July with a party at our house.  Mommy will be on summer vacation very soon and is very much looking forward to spending extra time with you.

You are so much fun, little man and we can't wait to explore and enjoy the summer with you!

The One with the First Birthday Party

We celebrated Liam's birthday on Memorial Day weekend with all of our family and friends.

The theme for the party was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, based on the book by Eric Carle.  I have always loved this children's book and I thought the bright colors would be so fun for his party.  Plus, I could sneak in my love of polka dots without making it too girly!

I worked with awesome shops on Etsy and was able to have some great items customized for the party.

The invitation was from LCDesigns615 and Lisa was very accommodating with my changes and requests.  She is doing a thank you card for us too.

I found a shop that had a whole VHC themed decor package that included signs and labels and favor tags.  This was super helpful because, while I knew I was crafty enough to put decor items together, I really didn't have the time or the ability to design all the items.

Kiyomi Designs was another awesome shop and there were both generic and personalized items that came with the package.  I didn't use them all, but here are a few pictures of the items we did use.

Treat bags filled with Skittles

Bug catchers (yay Dollar Tree!) filled with gummy worms for the kiddos

 Signs for the doors

A caterpillar using Liam's monthly photos

Close up of the beginning of the caterpillar

The banner we hung right above the food table

Liam's outfit for the day came from Tutu Kute and was so very adorable!

This is one of the only pictures I have of him where you can see most of it.  His name was underneath the caterpillar.

I also had a birthday poster made that we used for Liam's one-year pictures a few weeks ago.  We hung it up at his party, even though some of the info had changed (like his 8 teeth have now become 12 and his cruising around the furniture has turned into running around the house!).

From PhiloDesignz

I was tempted to do the foods from the VHC but with 50+ people coming to the house, it was going to be rather challenging to serve plums, salami and cherry pie (to name a few) that the caterpillar eats as opposed to good ol' fashioned hamburgers and hot dogs.

So, we did a cook out with the typical salads and sides and everyone enjoyed eating and mingling.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that donut cakes are a pretty serious tradition around here.  Allie's Donuts makes the most amazing cakes in the world and we have them for every celebration in this family.  Therefore, it was only fitting that they would do a caterpillar cake for Liam's birthday.  We also had a caterpillar made from cupcakes and a smash cake caterpillar head for Liam made by my very talented colleague at school.

Liam did have cake on the weekend of his birthday when we did his one-year pictures and cake smash, so he had tasted cake before.  He didn't dig right in, but with a zillion people snapping pictures and talking to him, I think he was a little stunned.  For the most part, we fed the cake to him, but he did dig around in it a bit.

We were blessed with a beautiful day and had so much fun celebrating with so many of our family and friends.  Liam is very lucky to have so many amazing people in his life!

The One with the Actual First Birthday

Considering Liam's 13 month post is coming in less than 48 hours, I thought it was appropriate to finally write about what happened on his actual birthday.

Another post tomorrow about his party once I finally download all the pictures!

I had a doctor's appointment that morning, so I was home from school and got to spend the day with the little man.

That morning, I made funfetti pancakes for Liam.  It was a really easy recipe that I adapted from several different places.  A box of funfetti cake mix, couple eggs, some oil, and a little water until I reached the right consistency.  I also added more rainbow sprinkles because duh, who doesn't want more sprinkles on your birthday?

Notice my mother keeping Liam away from fire but herself out of the picture.

Liam got to eat off of The Red Plate that I got at my baby shower.

We had matching tops from SaSeaDecor.  The owner paired with Jessica of Little Baby Garvin to create shirts and sweatshirts using one of Jessica's chalkboard designs.  They were perfect for Mr. Man's Cinco de Mayo birthday.  They say "fiesta like there's no manana" and I have been living in the sweatshirt for the last month!

Awkward selfie, messy living room.

After my doctor's appointment, I ran a few errands while Liam stayed home with my mom and picked up lunch from Panera on the way home.

Shortly after I got home, flowers were delivered to the house from Hubs to thank me for our son.  It was really sweet and they were beautiful.

When Hubs got home that afternoon, we gave Liam his birthday present (which technically we put together the day before and had been sitting in the living room all that day).  We got him a customized Radio Flyer wagon.  He loves it and we have been getting a ton of use out of it in the last few weeks.

 You think he likes it?!

We took Liam for a spin around the neighborhood in his new wheels before our Mexican-themed dinner.

Notice the convenient drink holder for Mommy's margarita?

When we got home, it was chips and salsa, margaritas, and tacos for dinner to round out our Cinco de Mayo celebration.

We had a great day and almost a month later, I still can't believe I have a one year old!

The One with the Year in Pictures

These collages really put in perspective how much this little man has changed over the course of the last twelve months.

What a difference a year makes!

The One with the Twelve Month Update

**This post was written on Liam's actual birthday, but I waited to post it until I had his official stats from the doctor.**

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Liam Michael you are

TWELVE MONTHS OLD!

You are officially a toddler now and that is just the most surreal thing!

It has been a crazy month of firsts around here to say the least.

What are your stats and what does the doctor say?

We went for your one-year well visit on May 6th and all is well!  You weigh 26 pounds, 7 ounces, which puts you in the 90th percentile for weight.  You are 30 1/2 inches tall, which puts you in the 75th percentile for height.  Dr. G. and Mommy talked all about your latest developments and how you were eating, sleeping, and all your newfound skills.  He was throughly impressed with your walking skills (more on that later in this post) and gave us the green light to start whole milk.  We talked about a schedule for eating and milk drinking and he went over the shots you were going to get.  Unfortunately, you ended up with three shots (MMR, chicken pox, and bacterial meningitis) and one routine finger stick to check your lead levels.  You were not a happy camper with all those needles, but you did calm down after some loving from Mommy and Nana.

What are you eating?

You continue to impress everyone with your eating skills.  You had a short period this month where you weren't eating as much, but it turned out to be another tooth coming in (more on that later!).  This month, you tried watermelon, blackberries, grapes, pizza, shrimp scampi, and egg salad.  You eat three meals a day and definitely let us know if a meal is late!  You still love any and all kinds of fruit.  Earlier this month, you started to "refuse" some of your late morning and afternoon bottles.  You would drink some of them, but were consistently not finishing them.  So, we decided to give you fewer ounces of formula during the day.  At this point, you drink one 8-ounce bottle first thing in the morning when you wake up and then two 4-ounce bottles throughout the rest of the day.  You still have one 4-ounce bottle before bed and are drinking Similac Advance in all your bottles.

Enjoying shrimp scampi for the first time.

When do you sleep and eat?

Other than a few days this month where you were teething and congested, your sleeping has been going very well!

Your schedule has stayed pretty consistent this month.  You are awake between 6:00 and 6:30 most mornings and you have your first bottle of the day with Mommy in your room.  Once Mommy and Daddy leave for work, you have breakfast with Nana in the kitchen.  You are usually ready for your first nap by around 9ish.  This nap ranges from 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on how long you decide to stay in your crib!  You have another little bottle around 11ish and eat lunch a little after noontime.  You are getting ready for another nap by 1:30-2:00 on most days.  This naps tends to be longer, although there are days you survive on 60 minutes of total nap time!  You are still asleep most nights by 7:15.

What size clothes and diapers are you wearing?

You can still wear a few 12 month onesies, but are in 18 month clothes for the most part (the pants are still a little long though).  You are still in size 4 Pampers Cruisers during the day and size 5 Pampers Extra Dry at night.  You have had some leaking issues lately, especially on the nights when you are more restless, so Mommy started putting an extra absorbency pad inside your diaper at night to help.  So far, so good.

What are some things you love?

Does making Mommy, Daddy, and Nana tired count?!  You definitely like to move all over the place and are having quite a fun time having everyone follow you around.  You love flirting with all the women and girls you meet.  You laugh hysterically when someone "chases" you and you still love to roll around on Mommy and Daddy's bed.  You love to explore the cabinets, open doors, kiss yourself in the mirror, and dance to music.  You still love the Weather Scan channel and it will always calm you down.

And you still love swiping Mommy's water bottle.

What are some things you don't love?

You are having a little stranger anxiety lately, mostly with men, and will cling to Mommy in an unfamiliar situation.  You don't love getting your diaper changed and we are constantly looking for new ways to entertain you on the changing table. 

What can you do?

You are officially a walker little boy!  When we were in Maine for Easter, you did a lot of walking while holding someone's hand and by the time we came home, you were off!  You are walking all over the place and the new bumps and bruises all over your head are a clear indication that you are still a little unsteady at times.  You can sign "more" and "all done".  We are working on please and thank you.  You can climb up and down the few stairs we have in the house but we have yet to try a full set of stairs. You can put shapes inside the holes of your toys, although they don't always match up to the correct shape.   You can clap your hands and love to do it when the music is on.

What are you saying?

You don't have any real words yet but you understand quite a lot. You know who mama, dada, nana, and Max are and will sometimes follow simple directions (sit down, turn around, close the door). 

How many teeth do you have?

Mommy was right about more teeth little man! Last week, during your bath, I put my finger in your mouth to check and you bit right down with your first molar.  It is on the top left and your top right one is just at the surface. So that makes nine, almost ten, teeth!  *After we went to the doctor today, Dr. G. informed us that your bottom right molar is also right at the surface, so we are almost at 11 teeth!

What are some firsts from this month?

You walked for an extended period of time this month (and are now all over the place!). You visited Maine for the first time and celebrated your first Easter.  You tasted your first piece of cake and played outside in the grass.  You also had your first real blood-causing injury.  You are officially riding around in your big boy carseat now.  You are out of the infant tub and now getting a bath inside a laundry basket in the big tub.  We also celebrated your first birthday as a family with a Cinco de Mayo night.

What are some of your nicknames?

Still calling you Swiper.  Mommy started calling you Keurig yesterday because you have been making a noise that sounds like the coffee pot when it makes coffee in the morning.

What are Mommy and Daddy's "Parents of the Year" moments?

Mommy and Daddy can't take credit for this happening on their watch but we still felt pretty awful about it (Nana felt horrible about it!).  A couple of weeks ago, before you started walking on your own, you were still holding onto the wall and doors to cruise around the house.  You missed the door when you were walking and tumbled forward onto your face.  Your mouth and lip instantly started bleeding and we discovered the next day that you had actually chipped your front right tooth just a little.  You were a little swollen for a bit, but you loved eating all that ice!

Sad, swollen lip.

What are we looking forward to in the next month?

We will be celebrating your first birthday with all our family and friends with a Very Hungry Caterpillar party later this month.  You will also celebrate a friend's first birthday next weekend and we will celebrate Mother's Day.  

This was by far the hardest month to get good pictures of you!  You found that sticker almost immediately and nothing would distract you from it!

 Clearly you are still loving to screech and scream.

Mommy and Daddy cannot believe it has been one whole year since you were born.  We love you so very much and you are the best thing that has ever happened to us!

The One with Happy Birthday

One year ago today, at 1:28 pm, the most amazing little person came into my life.

He came into this world like lightening (hello two hour labor!) and hasn't stopped since.

He is funny, adorable, loud, a bit of daredevil, and full of personality.

He is the boy who made me a mama.

He is my son.

And I love him right up to the moon and back.

Happy First Birthday, Liam!

(lots more to come, including the 12 month update, birthday party details, and first year photo shoot pictures)