Liam's Turns Two!

Can it really have already been 2 years since we welcomed this little miracle into our family?

Taylor had no idea how much her life was about to change...and I don't think we did either!

He was such an amazing little baby. So cute and so cuddly. I loved every little inch of him! He was our little surprise baby, but God knew from the beginning that he would become a part of our family just 18 months after Taylor was born!

And now look at him! He is so amazing! And look how cute! I could squeeze his little cheeks off!

Liam weighs about 30 lbs right now and is around 36 inches tall. He is a big solid boy!

Liam is a great little eater. He has become somewhat of a "grazer" here lately. You know...he sits at the table for all of 2 minutes and then he has to get up and run around. But he continuously comes back for more food until it is eventually all gone! His favorite foods are macaroni and cheese (when I asked him this was his first response...and he yelled it!), peas, chicken nuggets (with ranch dressing of course!), hamburgers, mashed potatoes, bananas, strawberries, grapes, and pop tarts! He isn't very picky at all. He will eat just about anything, as long as he is in the mood for it. There are some days where it seems like he eats all day long.

His favorite drink is by far chocolate milk. He gets so upset if we try to give him white milk now. We kind of messed up there! But I really don't think it is that bad. At least he drinks milk! He drinks 1% milk and has for a few months now. We just got so tired of buying 2 kinds of milk. Our family goes through about 3 or 4 gallons of milk a week. He also loves apple juice (which we still water down) and water. He will sometimes drink a capri sun or kool-aid. And sadly...he sometimes drinks sweet tea. But only from my cup...I would never pour him his own glass of sweet tea!

Liam has really started talking in the past month. It seems like there is nothing he can't say. He is even putting things into complete sentences! I laugh at him all the time because the things I hear him say seem like they should come from someone older. I especially laugh when he says, "Me fall in wa-wa, bump head on step, get boo-boo." It is like he is telling on Nonnie and Kimberly all over again. He also likes to tell on Taylor. He will say "Taylor bonk me on my head!" My most favorite thing that he says is "Love you Mommy." My heart just melts. Some funny things he says is chock (chocolate milk), Masey (Mason), Sissy (Taylor), and wa-wa (water). I thought there were going to be a lot more of these, but he actually says a lot of things right!

We do have a little problem with Liam saying words like booty, butt, and poop in places that he shouldn't say them. But we are working on appropriate names and things that we shouldn't yell out to people!

His favorite TV friends are Mickey Mouse, Dora (sadly...he asks to watch this a lot!), and Phineus and Ferb. He watches TV mainly in the morning when he is eating breakfast. And also in the evening when I am trying to cook supper or get other stuff done.

His best friend is Miki Meadows...who he calls his Mik-Mik! He loves her so so much even though she is just a little bit older than him! She keeps him in the nursery a lot at church and he loves to see her!

Liam is terrified of animals right now. Especially dogs and cats. He screams so loud when he sees one and acts so scared. There is one exception to this. He loves Tim and Amber's dog Layla. She is a tiny little yorkie who Liam loves to hold and pet. I don't know if he isn't scared of her because she is little or what. But every other dog and cat on this planet scares Liam. So needless to say, we won't be getting one anytime soon! He loves to look at the cows at his Grandma's house, and he loves the fish and hermit crabs at his school, but dogs and cats scare him to death! It could have something to do with the fact that his sister is terrified of them too, and his mom isn't too crazy about animals either!

Liam loves bath time. If he even hears the word bath he starts ripping his clothes and diaper off. Even if we weren't really thinking about giving him a bath right that minute. He will yell "Me nakie, take a bath!" He loves it when bubbles are in the bath. And right now him and Taylor still take most all their baths together to save on water! Sometimes he likes that and sometimes he doesn't.

Liam is the best sleeper ever! He goes to bed at about 9:30 or 10 most nights, which yes, is late. But he sleeps until about 9 in the morning. He likes to cuddle on the couch with Mommy with a cup of chocolate milk and watch TV for a few minutes before bedtime. Then most of the time I can just take him upstairs, lay him down, cover him up, and he goes to sleep. He still cries sometimes when we lay him down, but most of the time he just goes right to sleep. He does the same for nap time. He usually takes a nap at around 1 or 1:30 and sleeps for 2 or 3 hours. And every time he goes to sleep he has to bring these two friends with him...

The one on the left is "shaky baby" and the one on the right is affectionately known as "other baby." These are two of Taylor's old babies that Liam has claimed as his own. He takes them with him to bed every night and every nap. I have no problem with his love for these babies. I do wish the one didn't have quite so much pink on it, but he loves them. He has also in the past week been wanting to bring a big Mickey Mouse stuffed animal with him to bed. It is really cute to see him in there with all those dolls. Sometimes he wants to take books, or cars, or trains to bed with him and we just let him. I don't see a problem in letting him take things to bed with him as long as he will sleep! When he wakes up he normally just lays in his bed and talks to himself until someone comes and gets him. He never cries when he wakes up and he has never tried to climb out of his crib. So it is our plan to leave him in his crib until he tries to get out of it. Or until he is 3. I think he will probably not need to be in a crib by 3 years old!

Liam has started singing songs a lot more here lately. His favorite songs are Wheels on the Bus and No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. He also sings his own little version of Jesus Loves Me. I love to hear his little singing voice.

Liam loves to play outside. His favorite outside toy is his cozy coupe. He will ride around in that thing for a long time. He also likes to play with the bat and tee and he will yell "me hit ball!" He likes to play in the dirt, and slide down the slide, and play in his sister's playhouse. He gets pretty upset when it is time to come inside.

Liam has no interest in potty-training right now. He could care less most of the time if he is wet or dirty. He does tell us most of the time that he has pooped, but he doesn't really care about getting his diaper changed. We are going to work on it a little bit this summer, but I am not going to push him. I know that boys can be a little more difficult than girls, so I don't really have any expectations for him right now. Although it would be great to not have to buy diapers anymore!

Liam is very strong-willed and gets upset when you tell him no. He has started throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He falls on the floor and buries his little head in his hands. It is actually kind of cute, but I hope he stops those soon! He has also kind of started spitting a little bit if he doesn't get his way. But he gets a nice little pop on the mouth for that because I am not going to be spit at!

Liam loves to be held and he loves to cuddle with his Mommy. And I hope this NEVER changes! He gives the best little boy kisses and hugs. He has been going through this phase the past couple of weeks where Mommy has to do everything for him. I have to get him out of his car seat, I have to put him in his car seat, I have to fix his milk, I have to hand him his plate of food. Crazy stuff like that! I know it is just a phase, but it is trying sometimes!

Liam is such a delightful little boy and he is so full of life. He just goes, goes, goes from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep. I love him so so much. And even though he was our little surprise baby, he was never ever unwanted. God knows what He is doing! I cannot imagine our life without Liam. He brings us so much joy!

Liam...I hope you always know how much we love you. You are such a bright light in our world. I love your sweet little personality and your big heart. I love that you are tender-hearted. Always remember how much God loves you. I pray everyday that you will grow into a Godly man just like your Daddy. I pray that you will be honest, loving, patient, and confident as you grow up. I also pray that even at this very moment God is preparing a Godly wife for you. You are an amazing little boy and I can't wait to see what God has in store for you. I pray that you will always know how much your Mommy and Daddy love you. I pray that you will follow God's will for your life in all that you do. He already knows the plans for your life if you will simply follow him!

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalm 139:14