Watch Liam Grow: Week Two

Dear Little Liam,

We absolutely adore you sweet boy. Happy two weeks to our little love. Each day we experience a newness as a family of four. Thank you for continually teaching me love, grace, and patience. I love our daily snuggles, the relationship that grows with my little loves, and seeing how God continues to use our lives to show His glory. May He continue to wrap his hands around you sweet boy, to guide our little family, and grow us in Him. Watch little Liam grow!

Number of weeks: Two Weeks  

Measurements: 7 lbs 15 oz (30%), Height 20 3/4 (62%), Head Cir 14 1/8 (53%)

Clothing: newborn clothing, zipper preferred. This week you have adorned not one but two very stylish and adorable bow ties like daddy. I love dressing you up like a little man as well as your snuggly jammies while we are at home. You are not a fan of changing your clothes or being swaddled. You would much prefer being held.

Eating: You are exclusively drinking breast milk and are a champ eater. We give you about 2-3 oz each feeding but you are always in search of more. Sadly you have had lots of gas and tummy issues this week. It has made sleeping at night next to miserable for you sweet babe. Mommy will be changing her diet to see if this can help. We also try tummy meds too to help alleviate your little belly problems, but right now we have not found an answer just yet.

Sleeping: You have a great morning and night time napping "schedule." You sleep the best from 6-9AM and take a feeding and again from 9-12. While this is not always consistent or for the entire time, you are a champ sleeper during the daytime. At night is another story. You will wake from 11-? and then typically will wake within the next hour for about 3-4 hours. Your poor little tummy issues keep you from going back to sleep. At this time all we can do is hold you or have you sleep on our chests. We have tried the swing, bouncer, bassinet, rocker, etc. While one may be hit or miss we have not found anything consistent that you prefer.
Activities & Tidbits: 
This week you turned two weeks old. Sadly we are experiencing some tummy issues and lots of gas. While you may not be a fan of the car carrier you do so very well in the car and on drives. This week you have decided to become a paci baby. I think it helps to sooth the above listed issues. When you are awake, I love looking at those blue/gray eyes of yours. You seem very observant and are a very strong little boy. When it comes to eating I feel you are very determined. You like to lay with your hands close to your face or behind your head like big sister did when she was a baby. 

Little man we love you more than words and this new adventure will take us on some highs and lows, but we are so very thankful for each and every moment that we are grown as parents and as a family of four. Happy two weeks little love.

Auby Month-iversary Series: 2 1/2 Years

When did my first born grow up to be a big girl? Love this spunky monkey. Happy 2 1/2 birthday! To our sweet girl, big sister, and love bug, you make our ❤ smile!

Date: 4/7/16
Age: 2 1/2 years old
Measurements:
Clothing: You wear 3T clothing. You have a love for about 3 shirts. You love your jammies and would wear them every day if I let you. You are in love with your "dolphin tail" shirt as shown in the picture. You love wearing socks and putting them on yourself. Many times we find you with your socks on your hands in the morning. I let you pick your clothes which does at times create some toddler tantrums. If I tell you something is dirty, you will give up and move on to another shirt or piece of clothing. You wear size 7 shoe and are currently in a size 5 pull up (fingers crossed we will be done with those soon!)
Eating: Some of your favorites include meatballs, "basketiti", black beans, fruit- apples, fruit cup (juice), grapes, veggies, bread, tacos, and Chick-i-lay. You of course LOVE your chips and queso, goldfish, cheeze its, candy, cinnamon bread, milk, muffins, donuts, and cupcakes- not that we have these that often but you are very much a fun of your sweets. Yesterday on our way to church you simply moaned, "I want chips and queso mommy!" It was so random but such a reminder that you are MY child for sure. And while sometimes you shovel food into your mouth, other times you are simply not hungry and only want milk. You do love your ice cold water.
Sleeping: You sleep in your big girl bed with your favorite loveys. They include your Memo (Finding Nemo Fish), Fox and Penny, baby blankie, and book- Goodnight Ark. You are a really good sleeper (most days). Putting you to bed is one of my favorite activities. You love story time, music time, and cuddling with us. I love your silly ways and how you call for Mommy. You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 and consistently wake up between 7:30 and 8 in the morning.
Activities & Tidbits: 
- Currently we are attempting potty training. You love being a big girl and will let us know when you need to potty... mainly for the tee-tee candy. You call it your kiss candy now. 
- You love going to the park, sliding, play dough, reading books- you know our current bedtime book almost by heart, playing in your kitchen, carrying bags and purses, 
- You are so interested in what mommy and daddy are doing. Your vocabulary is getting so big. We love talking with you.
- I love hearing you "read"
- You call skunks- stunks and boars- boards
- You know our first and last names. Mine is Alicia Mommy Zellner (love it!)
-  You want to do everything yourself! 
- You eat your toothpaste. It makes teeth brushing interesting!
- You love to sing- ABCs, I'm a little Tea Pot, Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, 
- You began yoga at daycare this month and love your gym time.
- Cuddling in the bed with covers is one of your favorite Saturday morning activities
- You like to run your fingers through your hair when you drink your milk. You will also run your fingers through my hair and point out my eyes, eye brows, nose, and mouth. 
- You love asking questions.
- One of your favorite activities is going to the movie theater and eating popcorn.

Likes:
Color- you tend to chose blue or pink but do not seem to have a consistent favorite
Number- 5. Everything is always 5.
TV shows- Paw Patrol, Guppies, Sophia the First, Mickey Mouse Club House (you love the ipad)
Movies- Frozen, Nemo, Monsters Inc, Up,
Princess- Anna, Elsa, Little Mermaid, You are still not a princess dress up fan but you do love to wear a princess crown, hold a wand, and wear your princess shoes
Big Sister Role- You love feeding your newborn brother his bottle, kissing his head, waving at him when asked to tell him hello, petting his head, and touching his feet. My favorite is when you refer to him as "My Liam."
Animals- dinosaurs- You usually tell us which dinosaur we are. Typically we are velociraptors, pterodactyls, or triceratops. 


Dislikes:
- loud noises
- being told "no"
- not getting your way... toddler tantrums are real! We are seeing such great progress lately. You can have the sweetest manners.

Watch Liam Grow: Week One

Ten little fingers,

And ten little toes,

The adventure begins.

Where it ends,

 God only knows.

To our little man,

We are filled with such love,

You are part of our heart.

You were sent from above. 

 

Number of weeks: One

Measurements: 6 lbs, 12 oz (9% drop in weight from original birth weight)

Clothing: newborn clothing

Eating: You are exclusively drinking breast milk. We do have formula as an emergency back up (Please know I do not side either way on breast milk or formula as my daughter was all formula from week 9 on. I am just thankful I have a different opportunity this time with Liam.)

Sleeping: What is this? You are a typical newborn and are a pretty good sleeper during the daytime. We sure do love our squishy cuddles. At night you want to eat all.the.time! You love to snuggle and hate to be put down. We are told it is because of your drop in weight. At the end of this week you did decide that you were ok with the swing and bouncer. Each day is part of a process and you are making good progress. Sleep exhaustion is not something you can fully prepare for. So mommy and daddy's prayer is for great weight gain and good sleep from our little boy.
Activities & Tidbits: 
You are a snuggler and are always in a froggy position with your feet due to the way you laid in the womb. You are not currently a paci baby but do love to suck on your hands. You are hungry all the time. You absolutely hate being changed or having your diaper changed. Your chord fell off with in the first few days and it seems that you will be an outie like your sister. You do not like to be swaddled at this time. You make the best old man faces as well as raise your arms like super man when you are picked up and sleepy. You open your eyes quite often and seem like a super strong little man. You have the loudest little squeals.

Likes: eating, sleeping, being cuddled and held,

Dislikes: car carrier, being put down, having your diaper/clothes changed, waiting for food

Happy Week One to our littlest love!

Liam Love- Week Won!

We celebrated our first week with our little Liam love. We enjoyed sweet snuggles, squishy faces, family time, big sister love, an Easter celebration, our first family park trip, a delicious April Fools with my su chef, and amazing visitors. With that we also saw many sleepless nights, baby tears, and a few refusals from our two year old. But with challenges comes wonderful times of exciting celebration. Our adventures in parenting two sweet babes has officially begun.

 {"I shall call you my squishy and you shall be mine!" Dory from Finding Nemo}

During the day, our little man does what every newbie does. Sleep, eat, poop, and of course make the most adorable little squishy faces. Our hearts melt daily! 

 

 

Oh how we adore these baby snuggles. 

Easter, Sunday was our first full day home with our sweet family of four. It included a cinnamon roll breakfast, lots of lounging and bedtime cuddles with the kids, and many Disney/Pixar favorites.

 

 {Happy Easter!}

 

 

After nap time, we found Easter bunny tracks and candy eggs that led into Liam's room. There Aubrey and Liam's Easter baskets sat, filled with holiday surprises and treats. Aubrey loved her pink flower sun glasses, magic wand, and of course the candy. Little Liam did more sleeping then exploring like big sister, but maybe next year he can get in on the fun! While celebrating with themed Easter eggs, candy, and bunny prints is always fun, we are truly reminded of our Easter blessings this year. We are so thankful for God's continued promise of His lamb. Through Jesus we are offered grace and a promise of eternity with our heavenly Father. That is the true gift of Easter.

We've been asked how Aubrey is handling her new role as big sister. To be honest, she really likes to help her little brother. Her current favorite is feeding him. She also gives him sweet kisses on his head, softly pats his face, and greets him in the morning with sweet kisses. With this sweetness she does hold her distance as her brother has some pretty high octaves with his crying. We've had to have many conversations about what his crying may mean and how he can't use his words like she can. We've also talked about feeding him and what baby milk is, as well as reminding her about how to be careful of a newborn.  When asked she will say she likes him and talks about how she's a big sister. I love when she calls him, "my Liam!" Talk about heart melting mama moment. As of now we really haven't seen to many acting out moments as she has her usual schedule. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but do know it will continue to be a process to mold our new "normal."

Our first tummy time experience was pretty successful. We pulled out two mats so that big sister could also be involved. To be honest, while she was aware of him and checked on him several times, she was a bit more interested in her snack and her Hello Kitty stickers. She did check on her little brother but quickly gave him space when he woke up to find out he was on his tummy. The water works quickly began. 

 

 {Sweet conversation with big sister}

We did get this sweet smile before he fully awoke to find out he was laying on his tummy. I don't think he was fully prepared.

 

I absolutely loved having daddy with me all week to love and cuddle baby boy. He's surely a snuggler.

 

To keep with her regular routine, Aubrey went to daycare to be with her friends and keep up her normal schedule. Plus she absolutely loves her gym time and new yoga class she takes once a week through her daycare. 

It is also so nice to let little miss wake up on her on time. We enjoyed breakfast and spent a sweet morning together. Of course with this sweetness the husband and I were both exhausted and pretty delirious from lack of sleep, but we are a team. While I surely missed my big girl during the day, it will be so nice to get little man on a "schedule" before this summer and then I'll have both my babes. Plus I absolutely loved getting to enjoy this sweet time at night. What could be better than to have my littlest babe in my arms, my sweet girl in my lap, and my husband at my side. There's no where else I'd rather be than in this sweet moment.

 
But with going to daycare you do run some risks. In this week alone we've received two emails about children in her room having strep and lice. Scares this new mama to death. At least baby brother will be building up a good immune system.

On Tuesday, we took Liam to his first pedi appointment with his doctor. At birth he weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and after his first weight check he lost about 9% of his weight. My babe was now 6 lbs 12 oz. This could be the one reason he always seemed so hungry. Little man is definitely a determined eater, but through our first week, mama is struggling a bit with feeding this hungry man. The pedi was not nervous at all. Now that my milk was in we knew his weight would increase on his own. He came home with a clean bill of health and of course was perfect just like we knew;)

First Bath

Liam was not at all impressed with his first bath. But I do have to say that a clean baby smells so good. And with all that hair and mama's chapstick kisses, he was due for a bath. Looking at these sweet clothes, it amazes me just how small our little newborn is.

 

 What a wonderful week! Our week was surely WON!

 Happy Week One to our little guy!

Taking Home Liam

 

On our final day in the hospital, we completed several final tests, said good-bye to our nurses, and readied ourselves for our life at home. Oh how we love our little hunk and his adorable newbie hoodie. Thank you Aunt Rachel for the adorable outfit.

 {Mommy & Liam}

While our little mister may not have been all smiles as we readied ourselves to leave, we were so excited to gather our things and prepare for home.

To our growing little family, we are ready for our adventure to begin. To our family of four, may we celebrate the triumphs and give grace during the challenges. May we look to God for guidance and grow our kids and family through Him.

Welcome home little Liam!

Special Dinner of Three, Aubrey's Fantlet Sleepover & Easter Egg Hunts

Special Dinner of Three

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

 {Mommy's Little Flower}

After our 39 week doctor's appointment, it was determined that Thursday we would finally meet our little boy. While I was filled with complete excited, I was left with a sense of urgency to put bags int he car, call our friends to watch Aubrey, and take Mattie to the pet place since we would be gone for a few days. After our "to dos" had been complete, we decided that we would enjoy our last night as a family of three with a special dinner with our little lady. Her favorite restaurant of choice would have to be "Chick-a-lay." She sure loves her chicken as well as climbing the indoor jungle gym. We surely loved our special time with our girl. We enjoyed eating chicken (and ketchup) as well as singing songs from school, watching the cars in the to go line, and playing with the table decor flowers. Oh how I love this little girl. 

 

{final night as a Family of Three} 

After our time at Chick-fil-a, we dropped baby girl off at the Fants. We knew she would be in such wonderful hands but also have so much fun with her Fantlet friends.

Fantlet Fun

Thursday, March 24, 2016

The girls were all so very excited for a sleepover. The next morning, the little ladies enjoyed a morning of couch time in their jammies and some morning cartoons.

Colby dog also joined in on all the fun!

That afternoon, Kristin met with her sister and they took all the kids to a jump place for a bounce'n good time.

Aubs & her Fantlet Twins

All Smiles

{Charlie, Aubrey, Fantlet ladies, & Ellie}

Giant Slide

I absolutely loved hearing about all the exciting fun little miss had with her friends. Thank you to our friends for taking such great care of our big girl.

Daycare Easter Egg Hunt
Friday, March 25, 2016

On Friday afternoon, our little bunny enjoyed her daycare Easter Egg hunt with her Elephant Classroom friends. Her daddy joined her for some good egg hunt fun, party food, and of course cute caterpillar crafts.

While mommy and Liam were in the hospital resting up, we were so excited that daddy could attend her special event. Our little girl was all smiles about her Easter Party at school and her 12 eggs filled with candy. From colorful eggs, delicious candy, and fun with friends, I have to say, her day was a true success. I am so thankful my husband sharing these sweet pictures of our little bunny.

After Aubrey's Egg Hunt, daddy brought her back to the hospital to visit with baby brother and mommy.  I was so excited to see my big girl and hear about all the fun she had. Upon her arrival, my family had joined us at the hospital to celebrate baby Liam. 

 Aubrey told Liam and Oma all about her caterpillar craft and her egg hunt.

 Of course she had to steal sweet kisses and pats for her baby brother.

 Opa gave gifts to Aubrey & Liam.

I love this picture of my two little loves and my parents. I am so thankful that they as well as my brother could come and celebrate our littlest love, Liam.

Bragg Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Saturday morning, our little love joined our Fantlet friends for their family Easter Egg Hunt. Aubrey joined Bryson and the twins, Madelynn and Emily, as well as Charlie and Ellie. I think the pictures speak for themselves. They decorated eggs with stickers, markers, and crafts, as well as enjoyed a fun family egg hunt.

Aubrey absolutely adores her sweet friends as well as all the fun Easter Hunt fun she had! Ray and I are so incredibly grateful for the love our friends gave to our little girl and included her in the family egg hunt fun. What a special Easter celebration with friends that are like family. We truly love you guys!

After the hunt, Aubrey said her good-byes and gave her love. She was coming back home to begin adventures with her mommy, daddy, and new baby brother.