The Life of Connor James and Liam Andrew

Saturday, June 23, 2012

23 Months

That's right... Connor James is 23 months! It's hard to believe that in just a month's time, we are going to be celebrating your 2nd birthday, Connor!

We MUST begin with a flashback photo! :)

Look at those cheeks!!!

So, in celebration of the 23 terrific months we've shared with you, Connor, here are 23 things we want to remember about you at this age:

1. You are pretty much obsessed with spaghetti! lol YUMMY!!

2. You have discovered that you can climb under the kitchen table. You think it's your fort, and you take your toys and blankie under there to camp out! :) It's pretty cute!

Taking your toys and blankie under the table! lol

3. You LOVE PBS kids. We watch Super Why, Dinosaur Train, and Sesame Street together every morning.

Having a snack and watching PBS kids with Momma

4. Sometimes you have your "terrible twos" moments when you don't get your way or you don't understand something. Sometimes they make momma want to have a tantrum too! lol ;)

5. You love the new slide at Mamaw's house. After landing on your bum a few times, you are finally landing on your feet! :)

6. You love to play with your cousin Tyler.

7. You think your big cousin Ryan is the best thing EVER! You ignore the rest of us, but when he comes in the room you yell, "Hi Ryan!!!"

8. You are a growing boy! We had to get you new shoes this week... size 7!!!

Aren't they cute!?!?!

9. You love to run and play outside. Basically, you just like to run. Then Momma has to chase you... and she gets a major workout! You don't like it when we have to stay inside because it's a million degrees out.

10. You are still a big time daddy's boy! Momma dislikes! lol

Hanging with Daddy in the new playroom!

11. You are STILL a sponge! It amazes me how much you know. You know tons of animals now... kangaroo, armadillo... and all kinds of strange ones! lol

12. You like to read books with us. We read every night together.

13. Now, you like to read your books to us too!

14. You got a big boy haircut this month! We cut it pretty short because of this crazy hot weather!

Short, short hair! You don't look like a baby anymore! :*(

15. You are such a sweet big brother! Sometimes you walk by and gently pat Liam on the head, or you give him his paci when he's upset. Melts momma's heart! :)

16. We finished your playroom this month, and oh boy, do you LOVE it! You stay in there ALL day! (Look for a post about this soon!)

17. You love to go "bye-bye!" You don't care where to, you just like to get out and go! (You are so much like your momma!) You love looking out the window in the car. :)

18. You like to empty the cabinets!!! LOL We are going to have to get a toddler lock!

19. You are a helper! It is sooooooooooo cute! If you notice a door open, you will go and close it. When we start to pick up your toys, you help us. When we ask you to give Liam his paci, you do! You are such a sweet boy!

20. You still LOVE the Ipad! You love to practice your ABCs and numbers!

21. You can officially crawl on and off the couches, beds, and kitchen chairs without any help!

22. You think you need to carry your blankie with you everywhere you go! (You got this from momma too!)

23. You are going to be TWO YEARS OLD in less than a month!!! This is such a bittersweet thought for your momma and daddy! We love watching you learn and grow into the amazing toddler that you are, but we also miss our little baby who would let us snuggle him all day long! lol

We love you so much Connor, and can't wait to celebrate your 2nd birthday with you next month! You are such a blessing and we love being your parents! We are enjoying every second with you and can't wait to see what you have in store for us next! :)

We love you to the moon and back a million times,

Momma and Daddy

Thursday, May 31, 2012

One Month Old Already!?!?

Happy 1 month, Liam!!!

I absolutely can't believe our precious little Liam is already a month old, but oh my goodness, what a month it has been!!! So much to update you on from the last month. It's amazing how different our lives are from 30 days ago! Of course, we wouldn't change one thing! Liam, you are such a blessing and we have enjoyed every second with you, including those midnight feedings! lol

Not even a day old yet! :)

Look how much you've grown in a month's time:

Just Born... 2 days old to be exact.

Exactly one month old... you are our sweet growing boy!!

So much to tell you all about your first month! Here we go!!!

We had lots of visitors in your first few days! Here you are meeting a few of your family members :)

Mamaw Benham

Nana Shacklett... Look at that yawn!

Papaw Benham

Papaw Shacklett

Uncle Andrew

Aunt Jill and cousins Colby and Tyler

We were soooooooooo excited to get you home so our sweet little family of 4 could all be together! :)

You were so excited to be home too! See:

You slept...

and slept...

and SLEPT! LOL

You and Connor pay so much attention to each other! LOL

At your one week check-up, we found out you were down to 7 lbs, 15 ounces (you were 8 lbs, 11 ounces at birth) and jaundiced pretty badly, so we got to bring home this nifty baby-sized sun tan bed for you! Just kidding, it is a photo therapy bed, and it made you much better in only two days time! :)

Here you are getting your tan on!

It turns out you were having some issues with eating, which caused your weight loss and jaundice. You have a slight tongue-tie in the back of your mouth, and the roof of your mouth is really high, but with the help of a lactation consultant and your pediatrician, we have worked through these issues and you are really starting to chunk up! ;) Once you started gaining weight, the jaundice was history!

You've had a few firsts this month, as well, that we've tried to document with pictures! :)

Your first sponge bath:

Your first "real" bath:

Your big brother had to supervise :)

First impromptu "photo shoot" LOL

"Why is there always a camera attached to your face, Momma?"

First attempt at a photo of you and your brother together!

Which didn't work out so well... LOL

But look how sweet you are...

A BIG first this month... holding your head up and bearing weight on your legs!!!

You think you're so big!! And you make such funny faces when you hold your head up! LOL

My little old man! lol

Here's a few things we've learned about you this month:

You love to sleep on Momma. Sometimes that is the only place you will sleep.
You absolutely refuse to wear a "clean" diaper. It never fails, as soon as we put a clean diaper on you, you immediately dirty it. Such a stinker!
You dislike being burped... you get pretty angry when we interrupt your feedings.
You think Momma's milk is the best stuff EVER! You are going to be a chunker at this rate!
Your favorite activity is eating! :)
You love riding in the car.
You like it when Daddy makes silly noises.
You like to hold your head up and stand up on your legs when we try to burp you on our shoulders. You think you are big stuff!
You dislike the swaddle, but you sleep oh so well in it! LOL
We love the noises you make! Note to self... must record some of these!
You have officially outgrown newborn clothes and diapers at the 1 month old mark. This was a new experience for us since your big brother didn't get to wear newborn clothes OR newborn diapers!! LOL
My absolute favorite is the way you stare at our faces when we hold you. It's the sweetest thing ever!
At your one month check-up you were 10 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches long! You are the same weight that your big brother was on the day he was born! lol So you seem so tiny to us!

Lastly, here are a few of our favorite moments with you from this month:

Just thinkin'

Big brother checkin you out!

So sweet!

Snuggles with Momma!

Our little monkey butt! lol

Little Brother Liam :)

Big Brother Connor! I was pretty excited about your matching shirts!

They turned out really cute! I'm definitely adding them to the pile of baby

clothes that will be turned into quilts for you boys! :)

Momma and her boys!

Being burped by daddy...Oh how I love this picture of you!

Just wakin up... big stretch! Oh, and your shirt is so true (sometimes)! lol Crabby but cute!

Our little crabby butt! lol

Daddy and his boys!

We are so lucky to have you in our family now, Liam! You make us so complete! We love you so much and are blessed beyond belief that God chose us to be your family. We are so excited that we get to watch you grow and learn each month (and that we get to document it here for you to read when you are older!)!!! We love you to the moon and back a million times!

Happy 1 month, Liam!

Love,

Momma

Sunday, May 20, 2012

* 22 Terrific Months *

That's right, Connor James is 22 months old, and by the end of the week, little Liam Andrew will be one month old! This month has absolutely flown by! My precious baby boy is now a big brother and a energetic toddler! So, here are 22 things we want to remember out you, Connor, our perfect 22 month old! :)

Of course, it's only appropriate to start this post with a baby flashback photo:

You're about 3 weeks old in this picture. You were trying to lift your little head up! :)

1. You are now a big brother! :)

We welcomed your little brother, Liam, to our family on April 26th :)

You wear your big brother shirt all the time, just to celebrate!!

2. You came to visit Momma and Liam in the hospital! We were so excited to see you! It was so hard for Momma to be away from you for two whole nights!

Oh how I missed my sweet Bubby!

3. You don't pay much attention to Liam yet. You are far too busy. :)
4. Occasionally if Liam is crying, you will bring him his paci! It's very sweet!

5. You are a sponge. You learn so much each day, and it absolutely amazes us!
6. You are now "reading" your books to us!
7. You LOVE to read books. Your favorite books this month are Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Goodnight Gorilla.
8. You LOVE to be outside. You just like to run, and run, and run! Sometimes you stop to play with your basketball goal or to ride your power wheels four-wheeler!
9. You love to watch the shows on PBS kids. Your favorites are Sid the Science Kid, The Cat in the Hat Knows about That, Super Why, Dinosaur Train, Curious George, and of course Sesame Street. They don't keep your attention for long, but you still love them! ;)
10. We celebrated Momma's second Mother's day this month. You and Liam, of course, make that day super special!

11. You are really into the ipad! You have learned so much from the apps! You love Elmo's ABC's the most!
12. You are such a great big brother! You had to supervise Liam's first bath just to make sure everything went okay! ;)

Supervising!

13. You are still a big time daddy's boy at the moment!

Sitting with daddy in church :)

14. You are being a picky eater again! :( You think granola bars are the best thing ever!
15. You are entering the "terrible twos!"LOL Sometimes, there is just no reasoning with a 22 month old! ;)
16. You love your Yoda Mr. Potato Head! You like to strip him down to just a potato, and then you go cook him on your stove! lol Then you bring him back and put him together again! LOL You keep us entertained!
17. You LOVE your bathtub crayons. You like to write your letters of the alphabet on the wall, and you like for daddy to write words so you can tell him the letters!
18. You are almost impossible to get a picture of! ;) Way to busy to sit still! hahaha

One of our first attempts at a picture of you and Liam together. Pretty funny!!

19. You must carry a blankie and paci with you everywhere you go.
20. You like to steal Momma's phone and call people with her knowing! ;)
21. I love how when you are waiting patiently for something, you say, "Here it go."
22. You are the sweetest "almost two year old" ever. Your hugs and kisses are the best!

What a great 22 months it has been! You are such a fun little bundle of energy that definitely keeps us on our toes! We love you more than words could ever express! We can't wait to see all that you have in store for us this month! We love you to the moon and back a million times over!

Love,
Momma and Daddy

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Thank You!!!

We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers throughout our pregnancy with Liam! We faced many challenges and complications along the way, but your prayers guided us through. Prayer is a powerful thing!!! We are so grateful that God has blessed us with another healthy and perfect baby boy!

God is so good!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Liam's "Birth" Day

April 26th will forever be such a special day for us! It's a day we will celebrate year after year. Our second, perfect son made his way into our lives that day and we are certainly blessed to be able to be his parents!