a boy and a dog

Just a boy and his dog, hanging out over Christmas break...

 

Did I say a boy and his dog?? I meant a boy and his lion....

 



SURPRISE!!

The weekend before Greg graduated I surprised him with a party.  I am awful at keeping secrets.  Greg usually knows what he is getting for Christmas and his birthday a few weeks in advance.  As I'm typing this (3 days before Christmas) Greg already knows his big gift.  I just can't help it! Luckily, Greg knows this about me and just accepts it. 

Keeping a surprise party a secret was a HUGE deal, and I was so happy I was able to pull it off. Kaylee took him to a movie and my friend, Rosemary, came over to keep Liam company while I got things together. I invited some of Greg's classmates, work friends, and my work friends.  It was a random mix of people, but I think everyone had fun! 

So I guess this officially makes us NC State fans. We kind of have to be, they have a lot of our money! 

Dad's Graduation

A few days after we got back from our honeymoon, Greg started his MBA journey.  A little over two years later...the journey ended.  Greg and I were both so excited for him to graduate.  It was a long two+ years. I'm so proud of him for sticking through it and finishing with a great GPA! I know this is something he will look back on and smile about!



Official graduation date: December 18, 2013. For some odd reason, NC State thinks that people have no where to be at noon on a Wednesday. We each took the afternoon off and enjoyed the day...celebrating Greg!

Thank goodness for that high zoom camera! 

I took quite a few practice shots of people getting their diploma. Most of them turned out great!  Of course, when it was Greg's turn I got a blurry picture. This just shows me I have to get away from the camera and live in the moment. 

We left Liam at daycare for the actual graduation ceremony.  Afterwards, we went out to lunch at Mellow Mushroom with one of Greg's classmates.  Liam got to join for this part! 

 Duh!! 

One of Greg's most priced possessions is a picture of his dad and him at his college graduation.  He wanted to recreate this picture with Liam. Since Liam didn't attend the graduation we waited to recreate the picture at home. We wanted to do it right after his graduation, but we all came home and took a congratulations nap instead.

Fast forward a few days later to 80 degree weather and we took the picture with a baby in a t shirt and no pants (yes it is December!)...

There were too many cute ones to just pick one! 

Liam is ready for college! 

Go Pack! 

A few of my favorite things: month 4

There are so many things that happen that I know will eventually fade away from my memory.  I try and soak up as much as I can, but I know these memories won't last forever.  Every month I'm going to try and write down my top memories.  These are things I never want to forget. In no particular order....


1. Liam will stroke my hair/neck when he is cuddling with me.  He does this when he is really tired and is cuddling up by my neck.


2. When Liam gets really excited he leans forward with his mouth open wide.  It is like he is trying to gather up all his excitement and just eat it!


3. When taking a bath, Liam will not put his left arm down.  He has it straight up in the air throughout his entire bath.


4. When he wakes up in the morning he brings his feet up high in the air and then slams them down on his mattress.  This is how I know he is awake.


5. Liam is so ticklish.  He is ticklish everywhere!! If you tickle him for a long time in the same spot he looses interest and then you have to find a new place to tickle him.


6. Liam screams! He screams when he gets really excited!


7. Liam has smiling eyes. You can see a smiling coming through his eyes.  It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.


8. When Liam kisses you it is always a wide open/sloppy kiss.  Beware!

"Hey guys - don't forget about me!"

Liam: 4 months

Weight:  15 pounds (35%)

Height:  25.5 inches (75%)

Head Circumference:

Clothes: You are wearing 6 month clothes.  All 3 month clothes have been packed away. Towards the end of this month I've noticed that some of your pants are getting a little short.  You have such a tiny waist, that there is no way you can wear 9 month pants. For now, you will just have short pants! I've been thinking about moving you to 9 month PJs, but I'll probably save that for next month.

Diapers: Size 2 diapers are still a perfect fit!

Health: This month, you got your first cold.  We went to the doctor the day before Thanksgiving because I was concerned that your chest was congested as well as your head.  They checked you out and said your oxygen levels were normal and your ears looked great! I would say you have had a head cold all month long. We have a humidifier going at night, have tried Vicks vapor rub/socks, and are constantly using saline solution. The saline solution works wonders.  We are constantly sucking stuff out of your nose, you HATE this! At your 4 month checkup we discussed your head shape with the doctor.  We all agreed it isn't getting worse, but it also isn't really getting better.  They said we still have time for your head to fix itself.  So we go back in a month to see if anything has changed.

Diet: You are still 100% breastfed. On the weekends you eat four times a day (3.5-4 hours between feedings), however during the week while at daycare you eat five times a day. I feed you before/after work and you eat three times while at daycare. We started at 4 ounces in a bottle and then ended the month with 5 ounces in your bottles. At daycare, your teachers think that you seem hungry after your bottles.  We brought this up to your doctor and we are now going to give you 6 ounces in every bottle. We are going to keep you on breast milk until you either seem REALLY interested in food or I run low in my supply and can't keep up with the extra ounces. Then we will start introducing you to solids.  They recommend doing this between 4 and 6 months, so we have plenty of time

Sleep: You are a great sleeper! You sleep through the night, we are so lucky! You usually will whine in your sleep for your paci, but that's an easy fix. You go to bed between 7-7:30.  Once you get a bath it is automatic bed time. You just can't stay awake once your PJs go on. You still sleep in your pack n play in our bedroom. We wanted to move you to your crib at the end of this month, but it didn't happen.  Your dad went out of town twice and I felt more comfortable having you downstairs with me. You typically take 3 naps a day.  You are such a cat napper.  You will sleep 20-40 minutes and then wake up so happy! The short naps make it very challenging to get anything done.  The only way you will sleep longer is if you are sleeping on me.  Once again, that makes it almost impossible to accomplish anything.  I won't lie though, I love the snuggles!

Likes: baths, tickles, music/singing, dancing, talking, sitting and standing (with our help), looking at yourself in the mirror, watching KC, burp cloths and bibs (you rub them in your face), sucking on your fingers, baby carrier (you started facing out this month)

Dislikes: being changed first thing in the morning, getting out of the bath tub, getting your nose suctioned out, wiping your nose, nails clipped

Milestones: You are getting really strong at sitting up.  You can't do it on your own, but you are almost there! Your tummy time is lasting longer and longer.  You are really good at it now. You are showing some interest in rolling over from your back to your stomach, but not quite there yet. You are a pro at holding your head up.  We now don't even have to worry about supporting your head when carrying you.  I'm not sure when this happened! You are able to take your paci out of your mouth.  You try so hard to put it back in, but that still needs some work! You are beginning to react to your dad and I separately. Your dad is definitely the funny man and I am the cuddler. You are great at grasping on to things and intentionally will play with toys now. You rub and stroke textures.  You will rub my face, pull my hair, and even pet KC on occasion. 

Personality: You are seriously the coolest baby ever! I don't have very many babies to compare you to, but I think you are amazing.  We can take you anywhere.  So many people comment how calm and peaceful you are.  You love to look around and just watch people. You are a lot like me in that sense. Towards the end of the month you have begun to find your voice.  You scream, coo, giggle, and grunt.  It's the best! We can have a whole conversation together because you will mimic our sounds. You literally only cry when you are either hungry or tired.  That's it! We are so lucky. You are such a happy baby. You think KC is the best thing ever.  You follow her with your eyes when she enters the room. When she plays with her toys you LAUGH and LAUGH at her.  You think she is hilarious.  You have started to pet her.  It's so cute and makes my heart so happy.  I know she will love you just as much very soon.  

Visitors: Uncle Jeff 

Christmas Pictures

The dreaded Christmas card. I hate putting the Christmas card together. I can never decide what pictures to use, and it takes me hours to pick out a layout I like online. I figured I better get started on this process since we are just two weeks away from Christmas.  People will be lucky if they get it by Christmas. Maybe we will just call it a New Years card.

I had some ideas what kind of picture I wanted to use, now if only Liam would cooperate.

 

 

Mom - can we PLEASE be done!?

 

He loved the lights! Don't worry I didn't let him put them in his mouth.  Although, he tried about 15 times. When I told Greg my ideas he was shocked that we weren't including KC on our Christmas card. Do you know how hard it is to get a 4 month old and a dog to sit together long enough to take a picture? It's not easy! KC will make an appearance, but not in the way I was imagining. Here are some KC/Liam shots that aren't making the cut.

 

 

Yes - that is Liam poking KC's eye and pulling her ear.  It has begun. Luckily, KC can still get away.  Just wait until Liam learns to crawl. Liam already thinks KC is his best friend.