Today was Liam's final adjustment for his DOC Band. At an adjustment, they shave off some more of the foam to make room for his head to grow. Today, they took off almost all of it in the two places he's been growing. That means he will officially outgrow his band by next Tuesday. However, his head is unfortunately not finished with its transformation. He has made great progress and it looks way better than it did, but it still needs some work. Next week at his exit appointment, they will take pictures of him and do another 3D image of his head. Then we'll truly be able to see the progress.
So we have a decision to make. Barring some miracle growth spurt, his head will still need some work. The therapist said his rate of head growth has been on the low end of the spectrum that they typically see for kids his age. Overall, it's grown about 8 mm, which isn't much. But we can't make his head grow at a faster pace. That means he needs another band. However, we really cannot afford another band. We couldn't afford this one, but the burden was eased by some very generous friends.
That means he will not be getting another band, especially not right away, and possibly not ever. We will see. It's possible to take a break and get another band later. I wouldn't mind him having another band and all that goes along with it: the daily cleaning of his head and band and the weekly adjustment appointments. The past seven weeks (really more like 9 if you count the appointments before he got the band) have gone by quickly.
I will feel bad if his head stays like it is, though. It's still flat on the top left on the back of his head. The bottom half of his head has rounded out nicely, though. I think it wouldn't be a problem as long as he has hair, but if ever goes bald (either by choice or not) it might look a little funny.
UPDATE:
Well, we realized that since we have met our out of network deductible with this first band, then getting another one before the end of the year is the cheapest way to do it. According to someone at Blue Cross, we would have to pay 30% of the second band. He really does need one. I honestly think another month or 6 weeks would be enough to get his head looking right. So now we're trying to fast forward things a little bit, and he has an appointment for an evaluation tomorrow. It will be just like the first one where they took pictures and looked at his head. So scratch what I previously wrote about not getting another band for awhile. It's actually now or never on a new band!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Liam at Six Months
Six months already? Wow! It's kind of hard to believe. I can officially start planning his first birthday party now, right? Still too soon? Ok, I'll wait another month or so. Not that I just can't wait for him to be a year old, but I think his party will be so cute!
Six months is a fun age. Liam seems to be learning and doing new stuff all the time. He's not a fragile little baby anymore. He's a big boy! Literally. His six month stats:
Length: 29 inches (98th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds (75th percentile) (There are some hefty 6 month olds out there, apparently!)
Head: 17 inches (They didn't tell me the percentile, but somewhere around the 25th, I think.)
Since his four month check-up, he has grown 2 1/4 inches, gained 2 pounds, 4 ounces, and his head grew half an inch. He's definitely not as chunky as he used to be. He is settling into being a long, slender baby. He didn't gain as much weight this time, and I think it's because he moves so much more now. He jumps like a mad man in his jumperoo. He's constantly rolling back and forth. He's basically never still unless he's sleeping. He does still have his chubby cheeks and chunky thighs, though! As for his head size, I honestly don't think anyone who measures his head gets the same number every time. They all seem to measure it at different places. I watch every week at Cranial Technologies, and there is some variation. Liam's head has obviously been undergoing some transformation since his four month appointment, but I think growing half an inch is really good!
These days, Liam is sitting up very well on his on. One day he was sitting up for just a couple seconds then falling over; then the next day he could sit up for long stretches. It's amazing how babies just literally start doing something well so quickly. He still falls over some, of course, but not nearly as much...plus he's got that DOC Band protecting him.
Liam's favorite song is the ABC song. If I sing it to him, he gets the biggest grin on his face! It has even been successful in calming him down if he's crying. I know it's this particular song that he enjoys because if I sing anything else, he just looks at me like, "Silly mommy. Why aren't you singing the ABC song?" Hopefully he will learn his ABC's at a young age!
As for other languages, we do expose him to several other languages each week. I count to ten in English, Spanish, and Japanese to him every day, and speak the little bits of Spanish and Japanese I know. I usually play some foreign talk radio in the background while we're playing just so that he can hear other languages being spoken. Supposedly (I'm not sure if this is true or not), at around 7 months babies have determined what sounds make up their native language, and they basically tune out unfamiliar sounds of other languages. But if they have heard the sounds of other languages before 7 months (and they keep hearing them), it will be easier for them to learn that language in the future if they choose to do so. Like I said, I'm not sure if that's completely true or not, but it has been proven that young children learn languages better than adults. I think there are other windows of language-learning time in the first few years of life. So it can't hurt him to hear other languages right now. We usually play Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. Hopefully, he'll be a polyglot one day!
Liam's food horizons have expanded lately. He's been eating solid food for a few weeks now. So far he's had carrots (nay), butternut squash (yay), sweet potatoes (yay), and apples (yay, after the initial sour face!) along with rice cereal and oatmeal. So we're slowing adding in new foods. My plan is to make his baby food, and I'm hoping to start that up totally this weekend. I made the squash and apples, but gave him jarred carrots and sweet potatoes. He's only getting organic stuff, especially in this first year. On his official six month birthday, we let him try out a sippy cup. He's gotten good at taking his bottle, putting it in his mouth, and occasionally turning it up to get liquid out, although he doesn't do that every time. So I was just curious if he would kind of know what to do with a sippy cup. He grabbed it and put it in his mouth (although everything goes in his mouth these days), but he never turned it up (without assistance) to get liquid out. He preferred to play with it, of course, but I think he did well for his first time.
One of the new things he does is if he's sitting on my leg, he starts bouncing himself up and down (if his feet can touch the floor or couch). It's really cute and a good workout for his legs. I think he's trying to do what he does in his jumperoo. Also, he's quite grabby these days, and nothing within his reach is safe. He gets a tight grip on it, and it goes straight in his mouth (unless mommy stops him, of course). He is always messing with something! He also loves to eat his feet these days. They must taste delicious. He will also occasionally put his knees under him when he's on his belly. I can tell he wants to go places! He already can a little bit. He's been known to end up several feet away and facing the opposite direction from where you put him down.
Liam also has a sense of humor now and laughs at things that are genuinely funny. It's the greatest thing ever! Funny faces, jumping up and down, funny noises...they all make him laugh, along with the tickles. So cute! He also is quite talkative. He's always babbling and making different noises. One of his favorite things to say is "hey." Sometimes he even says it back to us if we say it to him. He also says "hey" to the cats, and then they run in the opposite direction. He likes those cats so much, but they don't want anything to do with him. One day, he'll be buddies with Squirt at least...hopefully.
Now for pictures! He sat up this time! He only fell over a couple of times :)
Six months is a fun age. Liam seems to be learning and doing new stuff all the time. He's not a fragile little baby anymore. He's a big boy! Literally. His six month stats:
Length: 29 inches (98th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds (75th percentile) (There are some hefty 6 month olds out there, apparently!)
Head: 17 inches (They didn't tell me the percentile, but somewhere around the 25th, I think.)
Since his four month check-up, he has grown 2 1/4 inches, gained 2 pounds, 4 ounces, and his head grew half an inch. He's definitely not as chunky as he used to be. He is settling into being a long, slender baby. He didn't gain as much weight this time, and I think it's because he moves so much more now. He jumps like a mad man in his jumperoo. He's constantly rolling back and forth. He's basically never still unless he's sleeping. He does still have his chubby cheeks and chunky thighs, though! As for his head size, I honestly don't think anyone who measures his head gets the same number every time. They all seem to measure it at different places. I watch every week at Cranial Technologies, and there is some variation. Liam's head has obviously been undergoing some transformation since his four month appointment, but I think growing half an inch is really good!
These days, Liam is sitting up very well on his on. One day he was sitting up for just a couple seconds then falling over; then the next day he could sit up for long stretches. It's amazing how babies just literally start doing something well so quickly. He still falls over some, of course, but not nearly as much...plus he's got that DOC Band protecting him.
Liam's favorite song is the ABC song. If I sing it to him, he gets the biggest grin on his face! It has even been successful in calming him down if he's crying. I know it's this particular song that he enjoys because if I sing anything else, he just looks at me like, "Silly mommy. Why aren't you singing the ABC song?" Hopefully he will learn his ABC's at a young age!
As for other languages, we do expose him to several other languages each week. I count to ten in English, Spanish, and Japanese to him every day, and speak the little bits of Spanish and Japanese I know. I usually play some foreign talk radio in the background while we're playing just so that he can hear other languages being spoken. Supposedly (I'm not sure if this is true or not), at around 7 months babies have determined what sounds make up their native language, and they basically tune out unfamiliar sounds of other languages. But if they have heard the sounds of other languages before 7 months (and they keep hearing them), it will be easier for them to learn that language in the future if they choose to do so. Like I said, I'm not sure if that's completely true or not, but it has been proven that young children learn languages better than adults. I think there are other windows of language-learning time in the first few years of life. So it can't hurt him to hear other languages right now. We usually play Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. Hopefully, he'll be a polyglot one day!
Liam's food horizons have expanded lately. He's been eating solid food for a few weeks now. So far he's had carrots (nay), butternut squash (yay), sweet potatoes (yay), and apples (yay, after the initial sour face!) along with rice cereal and oatmeal. So we're slowing adding in new foods. My plan is to make his baby food, and I'm hoping to start that up totally this weekend. I made the squash and apples, but gave him jarred carrots and sweet potatoes. He's only getting organic stuff, especially in this first year. On his official six month birthday, we let him try out a sippy cup. He's gotten good at taking his bottle, putting it in his mouth, and occasionally turning it up to get liquid out, although he doesn't do that every time. So I was just curious if he would kind of know what to do with a sippy cup. He grabbed it and put it in his mouth (although everything goes in his mouth these days), but he never turned it up (without assistance) to get liquid out. He preferred to play with it, of course, but I think he did well for his first time.
One of the new things he does is if he's sitting on my leg, he starts bouncing himself up and down (if his feet can touch the floor or couch). It's really cute and a good workout for his legs. I think he's trying to do what he does in his jumperoo. Also, he's quite grabby these days, and nothing within his reach is safe. He gets a tight grip on it, and it goes straight in his mouth (unless mommy stops him, of course). He is always messing with something! He also loves to eat his feet these days. They must taste delicious. He will also occasionally put his knees under him when he's on his belly. I can tell he wants to go places! He already can a little bit. He's been known to end up several feet away and facing the opposite direction from where you put him down.
Liam also has a sense of humor now and laughs at things that are genuinely funny. It's the greatest thing ever! Funny faces, jumping up and down, funny noises...they all make him laugh, along with the tickles. So cute! He also is quite talkative. He's always babbling and making different noises. One of his favorite things to say is "hey." Sometimes he even says it back to us if we say it to him. He also says "hey" to the cats, and then they run in the opposite direction. He likes those cats so much, but they don't want anything to do with him. One day, he'll be buddies with Squirt at least...hopefully.
Now for pictures! He sat up this time! He only fell over a couple of times :)
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| In all the ones with his band on, his mouth is wide open, so this is the best one! |
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Liam's First Halloween
I like Halloween. I haven't celebrated with a costume in many, many years, and I never put out decorations. But, I do actually like Halloween. I loved dressing up and trick-or-treating when I was a kid! Back then it was safer to go knock on a stranger's door and ask for candy. These days, not so much. I know people still do it, but I would be apprehensive about letting Liam get candy from someone we don't know. Thankfully, churches these days have Trunk or Treats where kids have a safe place to get candy. Our church has one every year, and I've been to several since I worked there.
I knew I wanted to dress Liam up for his first Halloween. What's cuter than a baby in a costume? Kittens, actually, but babies in costumes are the second cutest! Since he has his DOC Band, I knew the costume would have to "go" with it. It also meant costumes with headgear were out. One-because it would make his head extremely hot and sweaty and the band already does that on its own, and Two-it's possible most head pieces wouldn't fit over the band anyway.
So, being inspired by a Facebook comment when Liam got his band, I decided he would be a super hero named Super Liam! (The exclamation point is part of the name.) One of my faults (and there are a lot, but this is just one) is that I can't sew. I would have no idea what to do if you put me in front of a sewing machine. Back when I was young, I had zero interest in domestic-y things, and sewing (along with cooking) was included. Therefore, I never learned even though my mom could've taught me. I would like to learn how to sew because it's a useful skill to have, but I didn't have time to learn before Halloween. Ok, so we've firmly established that I wouldn't be able to sew Liam a costume. I also didn't want to buy a premade one. So I thought of ways I could make a costume that was personalized but didn't require sewing. I came up with felt. I knew Liam would need a cape and a logo. Pinterest convinced me I could cut a cape for him out of felt, and it was right. I could...and it was easy. I put some adhesive Velcro on it to close it at the neck. Next came the logo. I wanted it to be an "L" but not the type of "L" that makes you think of "Loser." So I drew a template of an L on cardstock that was all slanty and super hero-y looking and then cut it out of felt. It just so happens I own felt glue, so I glued it on his cape. Then I set about making the logo for his shirt (onesie, if we're being technical).
Before I even got the felt (the color was determined by what Hobby Lobby had in yards of felt, and pickins were slim), I had bought a cheap onesie and pants at Buy Buy Baby. I didn't really know what color scheme I would be going with, so I got a blue onesie and green pants. Looking back on it, I wish the pants had been a different color, but oh well. My plan was to fasten the onesie over the pants...instant super hero outfit! Anyway, back to the logo. I cut a red circle from the felt and cut out a smaller L. I glued it up and let it dry for a couple of days. The day before the church event, I thought his outfit needed a little something more. So I went to Michael's, not really knowing what I was going to get. I found a package of felt stars with adhesive already on the back. I decided to add stars to his super hero logo. Then I decided he needed a belt of some sort. Seems like most super heroes have a belt. So I measured his waist and cut a belt out of the felt. Then I put a star in the middle. Snazzy. Fastened it in the back with some more Velcro.
Finally, I had to jazz up his DOC Band to go with his super hero costume. I got some puffy scrapbooking letters on sale and spelled out Super Liam! across the front. Then I added a felt star for outfit cohesiveness and general awesomeness. And then the costume was done. Easy Peasy. After we got him dressed in his costume, I decided at the last minute to put stars on his socks too. I waited until we got to the church because his feet always end up in his mouth these days, and I didn't want him to choke on stars.
We only went to the second hour of the Trunk or Treat because I figured Liam would not be able to handle two hours of it. I was right! We walked around and looked at the trunks and talked to people we knew. I love seeing kids in costumes! Some of them are very creative. We had fun, and I thought Liam looked absolutely adorable in his costume! Fun times!
We also took Liam to a pumpkin patch to take pictures of him in his Halloween outfit (he may still be wearing that occasionally around the house sometimes...). He was mesmerized by the cars going down Coit and would not look at the camera. We brought Sophie along to squeak so he would look at the camera, but that didn't work. I think maybe I'm just a lousy photographer. Regardless, he looked pretty cute even if he didn't look at the camera.
We didn't do anything on the actual day of Halloween (Trunk or Treat was the day before), but he did sleep in his Halloween cozy pj's. I actually still put those on him some nights. Hey, they fit! All in all, I think Liam had a good first Halloween! Will and I didn't dress up, but I'm all for family costume themes one day!
I knew I wanted to dress Liam up for his first Halloween. What's cuter than a baby in a costume? Kittens, actually, but babies in costumes are the second cutest! Since he has his DOC Band, I knew the costume would have to "go" with it. It also meant costumes with headgear were out. One-because it would make his head extremely hot and sweaty and the band already does that on its own, and Two-it's possible most head pieces wouldn't fit over the band anyway.
So, being inspired by a Facebook comment when Liam got his band, I decided he would be a super hero named Super Liam! (The exclamation point is part of the name.) One of my faults (and there are a lot, but this is just one) is that I can't sew. I would have no idea what to do if you put me in front of a sewing machine. Back when I was young, I had zero interest in domestic-y things, and sewing (along with cooking) was included. Therefore, I never learned even though my mom could've taught me. I would like to learn how to sew because it's a useful skill to have, but I didn't have time to learn before Halloween. Ok, so we've firmly established that I wouldn't be able to sew Liam a costume. I also didn't want to buy a premade one. So I thought of ways I could make a costume that was personalized but didn't require sewing. I came up with felt. I knew Liam would need a cape and a logo. Pinterest convinced me I could cut a cape for him out of felt, and it was right. I could...and it was easy. I put some adhesive Velcro on it to close it at the neck. Next came the logo. I wanted it to be an "L" but not the type of "L" that makes you think of "Loser." So I drew a template of an L on cardstock that was all slanty and super hero-y looking and then cut it out of felt. It just so happens I own felt glue, so I glued it on his cape. Then I set about making the logo for his shirt (onesie, if we're being technical).
Before I even got the felt (the color was determined by what Hobby Lobby had in yards of felt, and pickins were slim), I had bought a cheap onesie and pants at Buy Buy Baby. I didn't really know what color scheme I would be going with, so I got a blue onesie and green pants. Looking back on it, I wish the pants had been a different color, but oh well. My plan was to fasten the onesie over the pants...instant super hero outfit! Anyway, back to the logo. I cut a red circle from the felt and cut out a smaller L. I glued it up and let it dry for a couple of days. The day before the church event, I thought his outfit needed a little something more. So I went to Michael's, not really knowing what I was going to get. I found a package of felt stars with adhesive already on the back. I decided to add stars to his super hero logo. Then I decided he needed a belt of some sort. Seems like most super heroes have a belt. So I measured his waist and cut a belt out of the felt. Then I put a star in the middle. Snazzy. Fastened it in the back with some more Velcro.
Finally, I had to jazz up his DOC Band to go with his super hero costume. I got some puffy scrapbooking letters on sale and spelled out Super Liam! across the front. Then I added a felt star for outfit cohesiveness and general awesomeness. And then the costume was done. Easy Peasy. After we got him dressed in his costume, I decided at the last minute to put stars on his socks too. I waited until we got to the church because his feet always end up in his mouth these days, and I didn't want him to choke on stars.
We only went to the second hour of the Trunk or Treat because I figured Liam would not be able to handle two hours of it. I was right! We walked around and looked at the trunks and talked to people we knew. I love seeing kids in costumes! Some of them are very creative. We had fun, and I thought Liam looked absolutely adorable in his costume! Fun times!
We also took Liam to a pumpkin patch to take pictures of him in his Halloween outfit (he may still be wearing that occasionally around the house sometimes...). He was mesmerized by the cars going down Coit and would not look at the camera. We brought Sophie along to squeak so he would look at the camera, but that didn't work. I think maybe I'm just a lousy photographer. Regardless, he looked pretty cute even if he didn't look at the camera.
We didn't do anything on the actual day of Halloween (Trunk or Treat was the day before), but he did sleep in his Halloween cozy pj's. I actually still put those on him some nights. Hey, they fit! All in all, I think Liam had a good first Halloween! Will and I didn't dress up, but I'm all for family costume themes one day!
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| Ooh..cars! |
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| Smiling at Sophie |
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| Immobile Mummy impression |
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| Standing up to get a better view of the cars |
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| Sitting up on his own! He |
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| I need to see those cars, mommy. |
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| Drool-bot was one of the costume ideas thrown around. |
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| Flying with the help of daddy! |
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| So cute, right? |
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| Family picture |
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Liam's First Trip to the Zoo
I know this happened almost a month ago now. I put pictures on Facebook, but decided I should blog about it so we can remember it. My plan is to get this blog printed in book form one day. So on Tuesday, October 11th, Liam and I went to the Dallas Zoo with folks from the mom's group. I originally decided not to go since I would need to take the train (I am not driving to south Dallas by myself!) and I wasn't sure how Liam would behave (both on the train and at the zoo). Thankfully, my friend Amanda talked me into going. She said we could go on the train with her and her two children so we wouldn't have to go alone.
We met at Spring Valley station to get on the DART. I put Liam on me in the Boba carrier and pushed the stroller. The train was so crowded! Strollers everywhere. It was fair time, so lots of people were taking the train there as well. I'm glad I decided to wear Liam. Otherwise, I think it may have been an impossible feat because there is no way I would've left him in the stroller with it so crowded. The stroller couldn't always be right next to me because of space issues. The great thing about the Boba is that Liam always falls asleep in it, so he took a nap on me on the train. The bad thing about the Boba is that it produces some heat, so between the sweating and baby drool, my shirt was soaked when we got to the zoo.
At the zoo, I put Liam in his stroller because I cannot wear a 17 pound baby for a long period of time, plus I wanted him to be able to see stuff. As expected, he showed zero interest in the animals. They were all so far away anyway; I honestly don't know if he even saw most of them. He was super content to watch the older kids we were with and just look around. At least he never complained to let me know he was bored.
He did look up at the birds when we went into the enclosed bird area. He also got to see a giraffe really up close. I thought he would love seeing a real-life Sophie, but he seemed indifferent.
At lunch, I changed his outfit because it was hotter than expected that day. After lunch he took a nap in the stroller for a while. Then we hung out with Amanda and baby Collette (who is one month older than Liam) while the rest of our group rode the monorail around the zoo. Strollers can't go on the monorail, so we had to sit that one out. It was a nice break. Before we left, we hung out in the children's area and Liam watched the kids playing. I put him back in the Boba for the train ride and he was asleep before we even got on the train. He was worn out!
Liam did amazingly well at the zoo. He was actually perfect. No crying or fussing...not even a whimper. I was quite impressed by him. He's a very observant baby and loves to just look at stuff, so I think he was just taking everything in. With the older kids we were with, I got a glimpse of what I'm in for one day! That was fun for me to think about! I can't wait to take him to the zoo again one day when he's old enough to be into it. I really hope he loves animals one day.
We met at Spring Valley station to get on the DART. I put Liam on me in the Boba carrier and pushed the stroller. The train was so crowded! Strollers everywhere. It was fair time, so lots of people were taking the train there as well. I'm glad I decided to wear Liam. Otherwise, I think it may have been an impossible feat because there is no way I would've left him in the stroller with it so crowded. The stroller couldn't always be right next to me because of space issues. The great thing about the Boba is that Liam always falls asleep in it, so he took a nap on me on the train. The bad thing about the Boba is that it produces some heat, so between the sweating and baby drool, my shirt was soaked when we got to the zoo.
At the zoo, I put Liam in his stroller because I cannot wear a 17 pound baby for a long period of time, plus I wanted him to be able to see stuff. As expected, he showed zero interest in the animals. They were all so far away anyway; I honestly don't know if he even saw most of them. He was super content to watch the older kids we were with and just look around. At least he never complained to let me know he was bored.
He did look up at the birds when we went into the enclosed bird area. He also got to see a giraffe really up close. I thought he would love seeing a real-life Sophie, but he seemed indifferent.
At lunch, I changed his outfit because it was hotter than expected that day. After lunch he took a nap in the stroller for a while. Then we hung out with Amanda and baby Collette (who is one month older than Liam) while the rest of our group rode the monorail around the zoo. Strollers can't go on the monorail, so we had to sit that one out. It was a nice break. Before we left, we hung out in the children's area and Liam watched the kids playing. I put him back in the Boba for the train ride and he was asleep before we even got on the train. He was worn out!
Liam did amazingly well at the zoo. He was actually perfect. No crying or fussing...not even a whimper. I was quite impressed by him. He's a very observant baby and loves to just look at stuff, so I think he was just taking everything in. With the older kids we were with, I got a glimpse of what I'm in for one day! That was fun for me to think about! I can't wait to take him to the zoo again one day when he's old enough to be into it. I really hope he loves animals one day.
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| Cute old man Liam |
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| Those eyes! |
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| Such a cute baby! |
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| Real-life Sophies! |
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| He seems concerned about all those kids touching the giraffe. |
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| Looking up at the birds. |
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| Liam and Collette |
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| He got his eye color from his mommy. |
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| I love these parrots...they talk! |
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| Worn out...about to ride the train home. |
Friday, November 4, 2011
Liam and His (Rockin') Band...That's a Wrap!
When it came to decorating his band, it took us awhile to figure out what we wanted to do. We could've just done stickers, painted it, or got it wrapped in vinyl. We decided to paint it ourselves, but we didn't do it right away. In the meantime, I put a Tech sticker on the band. Then we decorated it just for Halloween as part of his Super Liam! costume.
After Halloween, it was time to get serious about decorating the band. He had been in it almost three weeks...time to spiff things up. I bought the supplies to paint it at Hobby Lobby. We were planning on doing an Eddie Van Halen guitar pattern, but in white, gray, and light aqua. This was the inspiration. But pretty much as soon as I got the supplies, I began to doubt our ability to make it look good. So I looked into getting it wrapped.
Since before he got his band, I was familiar with Wrap Buddies, a non-profit organization that wraps bands for free. It was started at 360 Wraps in Dallas. They wrap a bunch of bands at one time about once a month and make a party out of it. You have to get on the list in advance to be able to participate there. Back when I should have signed up, we were really planning on painting it and I didn't want to drive to their location (off 35 way down in Dallas) by myself. So I didn't sign up. But once the painting doubts crept in, I really wanted to get it wrapped. Someone posted on the DOC Band Facebook page that a wrapping place in Rockwall is now a partner of Wrap Buddies and wraps bands for free as well. So I gave them a call yesterday (Thursday) morning. The office manager sent me pictures of available designs and mentioned that something could be designed if we wanted to go a different route. There was really only one I liked, and I sent the pictures to Will to see if there was one he liked. He only liked the one I liked, which was (of course) a guitar. It's a sunburst Les Paul, if we're getting technical. (Well, it's an approximation of one...I think it's from an actual photograph of one, though.)
Will plays/loves guitars, so perfect. I told them that was the design we wanted. I actually would've felt bad asking them to design one from scratch since they are doing it for free, but if I had, it would've been Beatles themed (probably Yellow Submarine). Plus, we would have had to wait longer to get it done so they could design it. So I called Thursday, and they wrapped it this afternoon! So fast! We told them we wanted his name on it, but I didn't see the font beforehand. I'm not a huge fan of the font, but I've already gotten over it. Like I said, they're gracious to do it for free and so quickly. We no longer have to worry about how we're going to decorate his band. It is done...and I'm pretty sure it can't be undone even if we wanted to.
Just looking at it from the front, people are going to wonder what it is, because there's only his name and a knob (that sadly does not go to 11) on the front. The design is mostly in the back and the side. I really do like his band! It's got flame and everything. I'm glad we got it wrapped, and thankful that Wrap Buddies does it for free, and that they did it for us. This whole experience has been a humbling one.
As for progress in the band, we are seeing some. The bottom part of his head is starting to poke out more. There hasn't been much change in the top part of his head (that we can tell), but according to their measurements each week, that part of his head hasn't really grown yet. We won't see improvement until it grows. I was told he would have to wear it 6-8 weeks. It will definitely be more than 6, and probably 8. I wouldn't even be surprised if he has to go a little longer than that. He needs a big growth spurt!
After Halloween, it was time to get serious about decorating the band. He had been in it almost three weeks...time to spiff things up. I bought the supplies to paint it at Hobby Lobby. We were planning on doing an Eddie Van Halen guitar pattern, but in white, gray, and light aqua. This was the inspiration. But pretty much as soon as I got the supplies, I began to doubt our ability to make it look good. So I looked into getting it wrapped.
Since before he got his band, I was familiar with Wrap Buddies, a non-profit organization that wraps bands for free. It was started at 360 Wraps in Dallas. They wrap a bunch of bands at one time about once a month and make a party out of it. You have to get on the list in advance to be able to participate there. Back when I should have signed up, we were really planning on painting it and I didn't want to drive to their location (off 35 way down in Dallas) by myself. So I didn't sign up. But once the painting doubts crept in, I really wanted to get it wrapped. Someone posted on the DOC Band Facebook page that a wrapping place in Rockwall is now a partner of Wrap Buddies and wraps bands for free as well. So I gave them a call yesterday (Thursday) morning. The office manager sent me pictures of available designs and mentioned that something could be designed if we wanted to go a different route. There was really only one I liked, and I sent the pictures to Will to see if there was one he liked. He only liked the one I liked, which was (of course) a guitar. It's a sunburst Les Paul, if we're getting technical. (Well, it's an approximation of one...I think it's from an actual photograph of one, though.)
Will plays/loves guitars, so perfect. I told them that was the design we wanted. I actually would've felt bad asking them to design one from scratch since they are doing it for free, but if I had, it would've been Beatles themed (probably Yellow Submarine). Plus, we would have had to wait longer to get it done so they could design it. So I called Thursday, and they wrapped it this afternoon! So fast! We told them we wanted his name on it, but I didn't see the font beforehand. I'm not a huge fan of the font, but I've already gotten over it. Like I said, they're gracious to do it for free and so quickly. We no longer have to worry about how we're going to decorate his band. It is done...and I'm pretty sure it can't be undone even if we wanted to.
Just looking at it from the front, people are going to wonder what it is, because there's only his name and a knob (that sadly does not go to 11) on the front. The design is mostly in the back and the side. I really do like his band! It's got flame and everything. I'm glad we got it wrapped, and thankful that Wrap Buddies does it for free, and that they did it for us. This whole experience has been a humbling one.
As for progress in the band, we are seeing some. The bottom part of his head is starting to poke out more. There hasn't been much change in the top part of his head (that we can tell), but according to their measurements each week, that part of his head hasn't really grown yet. We won't see improvement until it grows. I was told he would have to wear it 6-8 weeks. It will definitely be more than 6, and probably 8. I wouldn't even be surprised if he has to go a little longer than that. He needs a big growth spurt!
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| Waiting while the band was wrapped. |
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| Sitting next to Sam the dog...he was sleepy the whole time. |
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| The staff at Bullet Wraps...for some reason Liam busted out crying, so back of the head shot. |
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| The front |
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| The side |
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| The back...a little distorted, but it is on a curve. |
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| Back again. |
Friday, October 28, 2011
Liam's First Trip to Louisiana!
The idea of traveling any significant length of time with a small baby doesn't appeal to me. That's why it took us so long to travel to Louisiana with Liam. But at five months old, we figured it was time. We finally figured out a weekend in October that worked for everyone involved and started our drive east at 6:00 a.m. Friday, October 14th. We had planned on leaving at 5:00 a.m. but a certain cat prevented that from happening.
Liam slept for about the first hour and half of the trip. Then we stopped at a truck stop and I changed his diaper and put day clothes on him (he had been wearing his cozy pj's). That was a first for me (the 'in a truck stop' part). A lady working there asked me how long he would have to wear his halo. We had stopped just on the other side of Canton (from Dallas) and I took over the driving while Will sat in the back with Liam. Will fed him and played with him, and at some point they both fell asleep back there. I didn't stop again until we hit Haughton, LA, so about three hours straight driving. Then we switched places and I sat in the back with Liam. He started complaining around the time we were driving through Arcadia, so we were super close to Ruston by then!
We went to the Louisiana Tech campus and met up with Will's parents there. We ate lunch in Tolliver, and Liam got to hang out with his grandparents, who hadn't seen him since he was a tiny baby. We walked around campus some and went to the bookstore, which is so different than it used to be! We got Liam some LA Tech cozy pj's and a cap for when he has a nicely-shaped head. I enjoyed being on campus. I miss it, even though it's not the same as it used to be. That's fine. I wish I got to go there more often. It's hard to believe I've been out of college almost 9 years. Flew right by.
After we left campus, we went to visit our friends, the Kilpatricks. They have three adorable children, with the youngest being exactly two months younger than Liam. Therefore we hadn't met Nash yet! We hung out with Jenn while Britton picked up Siri from school, and got to hang out with everyone when they got back. Siri was very nice to Liam and she entertained us with dancing to Indian (from India) music!
Then we headed to my grandparents' house in Homer to spend time with them and my parents. Liam got lots of loving there! We had fun hanging out there. On our way out to my parents' house, where we stayed the night, we drove by the Homer High football game. It must have been late in the game because there wasn't many people there, and the no band thing was strange, especially when they scored a touchdown.
Liam was completely worn out at the end of the day. He slept in his pack n play. He had never slept in the bottom part, just the bassinet part when he was itty bitty. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any problems sleeping in it. The next morning, we hung out with my parents some more. Then we went to visit my great-grandmother, so Liam's great-great-grandmother. She and my great aunt really enjoyed seeing him. He was in a good mood most of the time we were there, then he got fussy, and then he went to sleep.
Then we were off to Shreveport, with a brief stop in Minden for lunch. We visited our friends Rebekah and Eric and their son, Luke. Unfortunately, Liam was pretty fussy. With all the driving and meeting new people and being held, he was just done with it all by that point. I honestly felt really guilty for putting him through all that, because I could tell it was rough on him. It was really good to see the Willis family, regardless, though. Our final stop was the Caraway house. We stayed the night with our friends Kelli and Jeremy and their two kids, Jacob and Evie. Kelli's parents were there and got to meet Liam too. The kids, especially Jacob, were super interested in Liam, and Jacob just wanted to touch him all the time. Thankfully, Liam stopped being fussy for a little while and we played some. After all the kids were put to bed (Liam once again had no problem going to sleep), we stayed up way too late watching parts of The Sing-Off, a Rush documentary, and ending the night with a Whitesnake concert. It was fun, though. We only do that kind of stuff with Kelli and Jeremy!
The next morning, we headed back to Texas. We stopped for like an hour at a truck stop in Kilgore to eat lunch and get out of the car some. I think that may have been our only stop. I sat in the back with Liam from Kilgore all the way home. He was pretty fussy for that trip. Like I said, he was just worn out and ready to be home. I think we all were. We started the trip tired, were tired throughout the whole thing, and got home tired. I really enjoyed seeing everyone, though, and I'm glad a lot of people got to meet Liam for the first time. The worst part was that a few hours after we got home, Will got a stomach virus, which had us at the emergency room in the middle of the night. The trip just flowed into what was the hardest week we've had, with both of us being sick. I'm so glad that is over.
What I learned from this trip: Don't try to pack in too much. Our trips to Louisiana are pretty much always short because it's a nightmare for Will to be away from work. We try to do as much as we can in a very short amount of time. We just can't do that anymore with Liam. It was rough on him and us. I also learned that you have to take way too much stuff when traveling with a baby. Our car was packed. I told my mom not to get Liam anything large for Christmas, because we will literally have no way of getting it back to Texas in our car. Of course, I packed stuff we ended up not needed, but I didn't know we wouldn't need it when I packed it. I learned that Liam really is a decent little traveler. He did extremely well the first half of the trip, but then he got tired and fussy.
The next time we travel with him will be at Christmas. Liam will be seven months old then. We will not be seeing as many people, and hopefully we can stay an extra day. I think that will make it easier on all of us.
Picture Time!
Liam slept for about the first hour and half of the trip. Then we stopped at a truck stop and I changed his diaper and put day clothes on him (he had been wearing his cozy pj's). That was a first for me (the 'in a truck stop' part). A lady working there asked me how long he would have to wear his halo. We had stopped just on the other side of Canton (from Dallas) and I took over the driving while Will sat in the back with Liam. Will fed him and played with him, and at some point they both fell asleep back there. I didn't stop again until we hit Haughton, LA, so about three hours straight driving. Then we switched places and I sat in the back with Liam. He started complaining around the time we were driving through Arcadia, so we were super close to Ruston by then!
We went to the Louisiana Tech campus and met up with Will's parents there. We ate lunch in Tolliver, and Liam got to hang out with his grandparents, who hadn't seen him since he was a tiny baby. We walked around campus some and went to the bookstore, which is so different than it used to be! We got Liam some LA Tech cozy pj's and a cap for when he has a nicely-shaped head. I enjoyed being on campus. I miss it, even though it's not the same as it used to be. That's fine. I wish I got to go there more often. It's hard to believe I've been out of college almost 9 years. Flew right by.
After we left campus, we went to visit our friends, the Kilpatricks. They have three adorable children, with the youngest being exactly two months younger than Liam. Therefore we hadn't met Nash yet! We hung out with Jenn while Britton picked up Siri from school, and got to hang out with everyone when they got back. Siri was very nice to Liam and she entertained us with dancing to Indian (from India) music!
Then we headed to my grandparents' house in Homer to spend time with them and my parents. Liam got lots of loving there! We had fun hanging out there. On our way out to my parents' house, where we stayed the night, we drove by the Homer High football game. It must have been late in the game because there wasn't many people there, and the no band thing was strange, especially when they scored a touchdown.
Liam was completely worn out at the end of the day. He slept in his pack n play. He had never slept in the bottom part, just the bassinet part when he was itty bitty. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any problems sleeping in it. The next morning, we hung out with my parents some more. Then we went to visit my great-grandmother, so Liam's great-great-grandmother. She and my great aunt really enjoyed seeing him. He was in a good mood most of the time we were there, then he got fussy, and then he went to sleep.
Then we were off to Shreveport, with a brief stop in Minden for lunch. We visited our friends Rebekah and Eric and their son, Luke. Unfortunately, Liam was pretty fussy. With all the driving and meeting new people and being held, he was just done with it all by that point. I honestly felt really guilty for putting him through all that, because I could tell it was rough on him. It was really good to see the Willis family, regardless, though. Our final stop was the Caraway house. We stayed the night with our friends Kelli and Jeremy and their two kids, Jacob and Evie. Kelli's parents were there and got to meet Liam too. The kids, especially Jacob, were super interested in Liam, and Jacob just wanted to touch him all the time. Thankfully, Liam stopped being fussy for a little while and we played some. After all the kids were put to bed (Liam once again had no problem going to sleep), we stayed up way too late watching parts of The Sing-Off, a Rush documentary, and ending the night with a Whitesnake concert. It was fun, though. We only do that kind of stuff with Kelli and Jeremy!
The next morning, we headed back to Texas. We stopped for like an hour at a truck stop in Kilgore to eat lunch and get out of the car some. I think that may have been our only stop. I sat in the back with Liam from Kilgore all the way home. He was pretty fussy for that trip. Like I said, he was just worn out and ready to be home. I think we all were. We started the trip tired, were tired throughout the whole thing, and got home tired. I really enjoyed seeing everyone, though, and I'm glad a lot of people got to meet Liam for the first time. The worst part was that a few hours after we got home, Will got a stomach virus, which had us at the emergency room in the middle of the night. The trip just flowed into what was the hardest week we've had, with both of us being sick. I'm so glad that is over.
What I learned from this trip: Don't try to pack in too much. Our trips to Louisiana are pretty much always short because it's a nightmare for Will to be away from work. We try to do as much as we can in a very short amount of time. We just can't do that anymore with Liam. It was rough on him and us. I also learned that you have to take way too much stuff when traveling with a baby. Our car was packed. I told my mom not to get Liam anything large for Christmas, because we will literally have no way of getting it back to Texas in our car. Of course, I packed stuff we ended up not needed, but I didn't know we wouldn't need it when I packed it. I learned that Liam really is a decent little traveler. He did extremely well the first half of the trip, but then he got tired and fussy.
The next time we travel with him will be at Christmas. Liam will be seven months old then. We will not be seeing as many people, and hopefully we can stay an extra day. I think that will make it easier on all of us.
Picture Time!
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| Riding with Sophie |
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| In front of the Lady of the Mist fountain |
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| The Quad at Tech |
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| Finally, some decoration on his band! |
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| The Kilpatrick Family |
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| Liam and his great-grandfather |
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| Liam and his great-great-grandmother |
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| Liam meeting Buddy the cat with Kelli and Jeremy's daughter, Evie. |
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Liam at Five Months
I've been meaning to write this post for about a week and a half now, but last week was so rough, and I'm just now getting time. So...here we go!
Liam turned five months old on Friday, October 14th, which was the day we traveled to Louisiana with Liam for the first time. I'm planning on writing a post about the trip, so no details here.
Since he only has a check up on even-numbered months, I don't have any stats for him. However, I estimate that he's about 18 pounds and around 28 inches long. He's wearing 6-9 month size clothes, and already outgrowing some labeled 6 months. But baby clothes sizes are labeled so erratically, that really doesn't mean anything. He is most definitely a big boy, but he's not fat (except for his cheeks and chunky thighs).
What he's up to these days:
Squealing...and lots of it, much to our dismay. I know he's just testing his lungs and finding his voice, but it's so loud. It especially bothers Will, who, for someone who loves rock music, doesn't like loud noises. The squealing can be cute, but too much is too much!
Rolling over from his back to his tummy...every single time we lay him on his back. He actually has been doing this for a good long while. It certainly showcases his strength, but he usually (although not always) just complains once he turns himself over. He finally turned himself over from his tummy to his back on Saturday, October 1st (so at 4.5 months old), but he hasn't made a habit of it yet. It's only happened a few times since then. If it's like when he started rolling from back to tummy, he'll do it a few random times, not do it for many weeks, and then start doing it all. the. time. So right now, we're in the "not do it for many weeks" phase on that. Liam has also started rolling on his tummy while he's sleeping at night. Unfortunately that usually means I get awoken by a scream in the middle of the night and have to turn him back over...and then he promptly does it again. Silly, silly boy.
Lots of giggles, lots of grins...he's a happy boy! He smiles all the time, and we love it! I think he has the sweetest face ever. He's getting better about smiling for the camera. I've caught a few smiles lately. His new thing is to smile at the camera when I hold it up, but by the time I take the picture, the smile is gone. Oh well, we'll get there. The giggles are coming much more easily these days. He's ticklish, so he giggles when we tickle under his chin, his armpits, and his ribs. He also giggles if I kiss his cheeks several times in a row and make loud smoochy sounds. He giggles when Will bounces him up and down on the couch. He giggles when I pretend like I'm going to drop him (but I'm not even close to doing so)...little daredevil. Giggles are the best!
Adjusting to life with the DOC Band...and a stinky head! Since I usually do separate posts about that, I won't say much here. He's now had it almost two weeks, though, and we're starting to see some improvement. His head hasn't grown any, though, so we won't see any big changes until he has a growth spurt.
Trying to sit up on his own...and not absolutely failing at it! He's not doing it yet, but he's getting close. He has sat up on his own for several seconds on a few occasions, and he's pretty good at tripoding (not sure if that's a word). I think he'll have it down in a few more weeks. I'm so proud of him!
Eating something other than formula...expanding his taste buds. He's been eating rice cereal for awhile, and does well with that. Tonight, we finally gave him "adult baby" food for the first time. Even though his pediatrician told me I could start him on solids back at four months, I haven't been in a huge rush to do so. Most of the parenting books I've skimmed (never read a whole one) say to not give them anything besides breastmilk or formula until 6 months anyway. What's the hurry? Anyway, we gave him carrots tonight...videotaped the first few bites like good parents. He seemed ok with it; certainly not love at first taste, but a decent start. We'll continue with carrots this week, and try something different next week...squash or sweet potatoes, perhaps.
Reaching out for things he wants...and getting frustrated if he can't get it. He likes to grab the toys on the bar of his bouncy seat and pull on them. Lately he has gotten so frustrated a few times when he can't pull them off. That's new. He's also now reaching out for toys he wants, or things like our faces. He loves to touch our faces, especially Will's. He also reaches out for his bottle now, grabs it, and puts it in his mouth. He hasn't quite figured out how to hold it up to get liquid out, though. I have no idea how other babies are, but I think Liam has really good hand/eye coordination for a five month old. At least I'm impressed by him...but maybe I'm just easily impressed (or a proud mommy!).
Liam turned five months old on Friday, October 14th, which was the day we traveled to Louisiana with Liam for the first time. I'm planning on writing a post about the trip, so no details here.
Since he only has a check up on even-numbered months, I don't have any stats for him. However, I estimate that he's about 18 pounds and around 28 inches long. He's wearing 6-9 month size clothes, and already outgrowing some labeled 6 months. But baby clothes sizes are labeled so erratically, that really doesn't mean anything. He is most definitely a big boy, but he's not fat (except for his cheeks and chunky thighs).
What he's up to these days:
Squealing...and lots of it, much to our dismay. I know he's just testing his lungs and finding his voice, but it's so loud. It especially bothers Will, who, for someone who loves rock music, doesn't like loud noises. The squealing can be cute, but too much is too much!
Rolling over from his back to his tummy...every single time we lay him on his back. He actually has been doing this for a good long while. It certainly showcases his strength, but he usually (although not always) just complains once he turns himself over. He finally turned himself over from his tummy to his back on Saturday, October 1st (so at 4.5 months old), but he hasn't made a habit of it yet. It's only happened a few times since then. If it's like when he started rolling from back to tummy, he'll do it a few random times, not do it for many weeks, and then start doing it all. the. time. So right now, we're in the "not do it for many weeks" phase on that. Liam has also started rolling on his tummy while he's sleeping at night. Unfortunately that usually means I get awoken by a scream in the middle of the night and have to turn him back over...and then he promptly does it again. Silly, silly boy.
Lots of giggles, lots of grins...he's a happy boy! He smiles all the time, and we love it! I think he has the sweetest face ever. He's getting better about smiling for the camera. I've caught a few smiles lately. His new thing is to smile at the camera when I hold it up, but by the time I take the picture, the smile is gone. Oh well, we'll get there. The giggles are coming much more easily these days. He's ticklish, so he giggles when we tickle under his chin, his armpits, and his ribs. He also giggles if I kiss his cheeks several times in a row and make loud smoochy sounds. He giggles when Will bounces him up and down on the couch. He giggles when I pretend like I'm going to drop him (but I'm not even close to doing so)...little daredevil. Giggles are the best!
Adjusting to life with the DOC Band...and a stinky head! Since I usually do separate posts about that, I won't say much here. He's now had it almost two weeks, though, and we're starting to see some improvement. His head hasn't grown any, though, so we won't see any big changes until he has a growth spurt.
Trying to sit up on his own...and not absolutely failing at it! He's not doing it yet, but he's getting close. He has sat up on his own for several seconds on a few occasions, and he's pretty good at tripoding (not sure if that's a word). I think he'll have it down in a few more weeks. I'm so proud of him!
Eating something other than formula...expanding his taste buds. He's been eating rice cereal for awhile, and does well with that. Tonight, we finally gave him "adult baby" food for the first time. Even though his pediatrician told me I could start him on solids back at four months, I haven't been in a huge rush to do so. Most of the parenting books I've skimmed (never read a whole one) say to not give them anything besides breastmilk or formula until 6 months anyway. What's the hurry? Anyway, we gave him carrots tonight...videotaped the first few bites like good parents. He seemed ok with it; certainly not love at first taste, but a decent start. We'll continue with carrots this week, and try something different next week...squash or sweet potatoes, perhaps.
Reaching out for things he wants...and getting frustrated if he can't get it. He likes to grab the toys on the bar of his bouncy seat and pull on them. Lately he has gotten so frustrated a few times when he can't pull them off. That's new. He's also now reaching out for toys he wants, or things like our faces. He loves to touch our faces, especially Will's. He also reaches out for his bottle now, grabs it, and puts it in his mouth. He hasn't quite figured out how to hold it up to get liquid out, though. I have no idea how other babies are, but I think Liam has really good hand/eye coordination for a five month old. At least I'm impressed by him...but maybe I'm just easily impressed (or a proud mommy!).
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| He wasn't really into having his picture taken. |
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| Turned himself over of course. |
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| First bite of carrots |
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| Cute face! |
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| After dinner entertainment |
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