The Careys: August 2008

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Liam is One Month Old

Liam at one month. To keep him propped-up for this picture, I actually hijacked the gripper-pad from the kitchen, which we normally use to open jar lids. For this application, I used it under Liam's derriere, so he wouldn't slip all over the chair. Look closely and you'll see it under his toosh :0)

3 weeks old

He's one tall drink of water, for such a little guy! :-)

It's hard to believe that a month has already gone by with the addition of Liam to our lives. It seems like we JUST came home from the hospital yesterday! We count our blessings that he has been so healthy. I've been brought to tears a few times thinking about how blessed we've been to have two healthy and thriving kids. We definitely don't take it for granted!

Today I took Liam to his one-month appointment. I officially learned that we have a "good eater" (should I say "great"?) on our hands. Since birth, he has grown from 21 1/2 inches to 22 1/2 inches. He weighed in at 11.1 lbs, almost 3 lbs up from his birth weight of 8 lbs 3 oz. The doctor was amazed at how much he eats and how well-developed he is.

He currently eats 3-5 ounces every three hours. Like clockwork. He sleeps from 12 a.m. -5:30 a.m. (ish) every night. We're trying to slowly stretch that out so we can ALL get more sleep. The doctor said she will probably want him eating cereal before the typical four month mark, due to his size. She said that he's a big boy...not overweight, but just a big little guy. (It's funny to hear her say that, when everywhere we go people say "Oh, he's so tiny!") Doc Gaspard thinks he will be sleeping through the night by two months...Let's hope sooner, aye? (Ava slept through the night at 8 weeks).

The doctor asked how long I carried him after term. (Answer = 40 weeks + 6 days.) She was amazed at how well he followed her with his eyes, how much control he had over his neck, how alert he was, how he smiled at her "socially" (per doctor) and how he "talked" to her. He's a very alert little guy, I'll say that much. The doc said that he is "acting" more like a two month old than a one month old.

He continues to wear newborn-sized clothes, although he is getting a bit long for the newborn size already. I think it's hilarious that he has to grow into a pair of 0-3 month jeans. Right now they're HUGE on him.

Within the past 3-4 days, Liam has really been smiling quite a bit. When we talk with him face to face (and he's awake), he has what I will refer to as his "smiling fits". He seems to smile for 10-15 minutes at a time. I love when his entire face smiles...He seems to smile with his eyes and cheeks and forehead, up to his ears! (I know that sounds funny, you'd have to witness it to believe me, I guess :-). It cracks me up when our entire family is busy, only to look at Liam to catch him smiling his gummiest-smile. He is a happy baby. He does like to "talk", too. He continues to be a snuggle-bunny.

His strawberry-blonde hair is really filling-in, especially on the back of his head. I'd say he definitely will have blue eyes. Given his current complexion / coloring, I have a feeling we may need to buy stock in a sunscreen company!

Peace, love and the gummiest of baby smiles,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam :)

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Ava's sayings

Hangin' out at the pool

Ava has really become verbal within the past month or so. I wonder if it is because of Liam's presence, and because she knows she can verbalize her needs. Her day care teacher asked me last week if I knew that Ava talks in complete sentences. DEFINITELY! (Of course they haven't been around her for 3 weeks or so). Ava has been doing this for at least a month, and seems to say any word, using most of them in the right context. Here is a list below of some of the funny things she has said in the past few weeks...

Ava feeding Liam

Ava feeding Liam breakfast

-"I'm not going to the store, either." (She uses the word either quite a bit).
-"No, I'm not tired. I just took a nap last week!" (everything in Ava's world occurred last week).
-"Chocolate is my favorite color." (Note: when she uses the word "chocolate" it is clear as a bell).
-"I love you, Daddy. You're my friend. Can we watch Potty Power?" (a dvd about potty training).
-"He not talk" (when referring to stuffed animals or baby dolls).
-"I don't have to go; it's just gas." :)
-"That's not MY church" (whenever we pass by any building resembling a church).
-"Let's go to monkey-cheese's" (this is how she pronounces "Chuck E. Cheese's")
-"I want to watch Cinder-lella?" (this is how she pronounces "Cinderella", her all-time favorite movie. She is the girliest girl, LOVING her pink nightgown that Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jeff sent recently).
-"Can I have some mata-melon?" (this is how she pronounces "watermelon")
-She spells things. When Doug and I think we're being crafty and try to talk about something without letting her in on details, she somehow figures it out. Maybe we spell things TOO much!
-"It's coming off." (When referring to nailpolish on her toenails).
-"I wan lolla-pop." (When she wants a treat of a lollipop. They give her lollipops at the bank, so this is now the ULTIMATE treat for Ava).
-I eat GOOD! (When we've told her she needs to eat good / well in order to be able to have dessert. She says this even if she's eaten two bites of dinner...).
-"Can we go to Pway Pwace?" (McDonald's Play Place)
-"Ariel's Dad is not nice at all." (She LOVES The Little Mermaid, but we entirely skip the parts with Ursula, the sea witch. Because of this, she now thinks Ariel's Dad is the "meany" in the movie...)
-"No, you're silly!"
-"You're my sweetie pie."
-"I want a braid, please?"
-"I want some pink cereal, please?" (She LOVES strawberry frosted mini wheats).
-"Mommy, I'm in charge?" (She knows Mommy is in charge. I think it's funny that she actually ASKED me if she was in charge...)
-"Daddy, you're my best friend, ever, ever, ever. Can I have a chocolate chip cookie?"
-"I want to be Queen of the Rainbow."
-"I miss Grandma Pam SO much right now." (I thought this was quite a few words to string together, for her).
-"Mom, I love you SO much!"
-"I love you SO much!" (when we ask her what grandparents' cards say, when she opens them).
-"I try it?" (Whenever she wants to sneak a bite from your plate...)
-"Pocahontas" (One day, the Pocahontas movie was on t.v. She asked who Pocahontas was. She repeated Pocahontas' name four times, and said it right after that.)
-"Got to go pay" (When she's ready to leave the store with something. I've told her in the past that We have to pay for it first.)
-"I love my Mommy and Daddy and sister and Liam SO much." (I guess she says "sister", because we've told her she is a sister?)

Ava helps Daddy do yardwork (in her tutu)

Dancing in her purple tutu (Thanks, Aunt Kathy!)

She is a chatterbox! I know there are other funnies that I can't recall right now. I just wanted to be sure to capture these, for now.

Another funny... One day a few weeks ago, I put her down for a nap. When I went to check on her, I noticed that she had a pair of FLANNEL pajamas on. I definitely wouldn't have put her in flannel p.j.'s in the middle of July. I was confused, because I put her down for a nap with her regular clothes on, not pajamas. She was sacked out on a blanket on the floor. I then looked at her back, and noticed that the cupcake, which is on the front of her shirt, was on her back... Upon closer examination after her nap, I noticed she put the pj's on OVER her regular clothes! I got a good chuckle out of that one.

Mommy sneaks a kiss while making breakfast

Today when she woke up, she actually brought a shirt and jeans downstairs to wear today. When I told her that we needed to get underwear to wear, too, she went upstairs by herself and got a pair out of her dresser drawer. I can't believe how grown-up she is!

Peace, love and baby talk,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Waffles for breakfast