15 Months Old!

Liam is 1 and 1/4 years old! We couldn't be more proud of our demanding, curious, determined little boy!

He is currently 25lbs and 34 inches tall. He says dada, mama, no, halo, whoa, wow, kyler, and me. He knows more signs than words now too! He does the sign for all done, hurt, me, hi, bye, eat, more, dirty, diaper, no and we're working on yes!

With the help of his OT, he has learned to climb up chairs and any other objects in his way! He has learned how to put things in small containers and how to make the sound of a toy car vrooming. He now "drawers", and has even drawn on our bathroom door with a crayon. (I couldn't be mad when its definitely an OT thing!

He still falls a lot, has his weak days, but therapy is doing wonders. He amazes us every day!

His favorite activities are playing outside, going down slides, playing with cars, touching dad's xbox, reading books, and proving people wrong about his diagnosis.

And that's the life of a Leebug.

Happy Halloween!

I apologize for not updating, life's been crazy lately.

We just moved, and are barely settled into our new house. Liam has been adjusting to the new home a little roughly, but we're hoping he settles down soon!

His therapies we had to put back on hold until we switched counties have been restablished! Yay! Hooooorah!

Liam had his first real Halloween! He did great! He didn't exactly get the concept of "Trick-or-treat!" Or saying thank you, but he did appreciate the candy! (So do his parents!)

Happy Halloween! Enjoy the photobomb.

I realize I haven't been posting as many updates about Liam.

But do you know what it's like to chase after a toddler? He's exhausting.

Well, we are about a week and two days away from his first birthday. He is learning new things everyday, and continuing to beat any odds that were once against him. Yesterday, with me being sick, he learned how to blow his nose, or copy it at least. My mom taught him a weird dance move where he thrusts himself forward. It's slightly awkward...but cute.

I let him watch TV for the first time ever, not that he was incredibly interested in it in the first place. But he watched Yo Gabba Gabba and fell in love with it. He doesn't watch it for too long, just a few minutes here and there and then stops to dance with a song.

Oh, and good news, we got the approval from DDD (Dept of Developmental Disabilities) and we are going to start the rigorous therapy again! I'm excited for speech therapy the most probably. I always fear that the weakness on his right side is going to affect his mouth. Because that's not something I can necessarily see.

He's trying new foods, learning new ways to say words (although he never says them quite right) and hitting skills left and right. Within the past week he learned how to toss a ball. Not the over the ear throw, but the under throw. It's really cool, he will just chase the ball around the house!

He weighs about 23-24lbs now but is slimming down thanks to learning how to run. We're still dealing with him falling a lot, especially when his muscles are weak and he's tired, but we taught him to not cry when he falls and to clap his hands or do the sign for safe. This way we know, when he really gets hurt, he will actually cry. Someone actually told me I was wrong for doing that, teaching him at such a young age that he should not cry every time he gets hurt. (Some wacko woman on a board...something about teaching him not to feel anything) But she's crazy, and we kind of had to teach him that with how much he falls. I mean, if we didn't he'd be crying every 20 minutes.

And I can't stand crying or whining when it's not real, and Liam's also learned that. We need to nip that in the butt ASAP!

Well, I apologize for the lack of updates and I hope I can get better at it. But we have a first birthday coming up, and a really busy week!

And that, is the life of a leebug.

11 Months Old!

Liam sure has been busy! This little guy has managed to swim in both the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean within six months. I think that's pretty cool. He also swam in Indian Lake, crawled in front of where George Washington once lived, and touched a dinosaur bone at the American Museum of Natural History. This kid isn't even a year old, and has already done and seen so much.

Stat wise he is still 30 inches, his head is about 20in around, and he weighs 23lbs. He is eating more people food, less formula and we are slowly introducing almond milk to him.

He is doing amazing. Toddling around, walking and communicating more effectively with us. He now points, and learned to say the "Guh" sound. He also says "Duh Duh" for dog, "At" for cat, and thank you. We haven't gotten him yet to get better with his fine motor skills, but I'm so thrilled with all of the changes he's making and all of the wondrous growing he's been doing...that I'm ecstatic. He also, cut his fifth tooth!

We are though, on our fifth ear infection. So next week we are off to the Ears Nose and Throat Pediatric Specialist to decide the route for the ear tubes. His ears aren't draining properly and my poor child has had so many ear infections, it is unbelievable. This current one he is fighting is from May! Yes, May. 5 rounds of antibiotics with 10 days each of them...and my poor needs to be pumped full of probiotics.

I haven't heard back yet about the DDD referral. So he hasn't started his speech or OT or PT yet. But he will soon. I'm thinking about putting him in ISR swim lessons, to teach him how to float and breathe in water in the event that he was to fall in. I want him to be prepared, as well as myself. I'm hoping if we can get him in for the swim lessons it'll help him on his bad muscle days.

We have three weeks until his first birthday! I'd started preparing and am sending out his invitations on Monday! I handmade them and they are super cute!

Until next time, when I can get a picture update. (When I pick them up from Walmart)... that is the life of a Leebug.

T-O-D-D-L-E-R

My baby is officially a toddler.
He toddles.
He walks, he climbs, he beats odds every minute of the day.

I am constantly amazed by him and the things he does. I have been slacking on his massages 3 times a day, and only do it twice, and sometimes once, and even then he does well. It's a lot for me to handle when I have a busy day, and he won't sit down anymore for his massages. At night it's easier, because he'll drink a bottle, but in the morning he's so excited to be awake and stuff - he just runs around.

But if I don't massage or stretch him, he has a bad muscle day. He will walk funny, fall constantly, and just have a few issues. The day's I do them, he walks almost perfect.

We had an appt with a neurosurgeon the other day, and since his brain is growing with his skull, and we won't do another MRI for another 7 months, we do not feel the need to put him in a helmet. His neurologist doesn't even want to see him until October, which is great. We just will keep doing what we are doing!

His referral for DDD for OT/PT and speech has yet to go through. Normally, I'd be picky and pushy and make it got through asap, but we're NYC bound next week and so until we're back, I don't mind. He is also getting a swallow study when he gets back. We are going to be investigating further his swallowing since he spits things out and chokes a lot. It's scary when he eats! But I'm hoping with speech therapy things will be easier for him. And when things are easier for Liam, it's easier for me too.

His referral for DDD takes a burden off of my shoulders. It means that we no longer pay out of pocket for his therapies, which is great considering we never have that money. It's bad enough that we have to pay so much for all the other medical things, but it's definitely a relief for everything else to be handled!

I am grateful that we have state programs for children with special needs. Because a year ago I never forsaw us needing one. It's funny, how much can change in a year. Imagine where we will be next year?

I get this image of Liam flying at that point, but it could very well go the other way too. But, prayers and positive thoughts will help us!

And that is the life of a leebug, wish us luck for our cross country trip!

Busy Life

Life has been busy with a ten month old. We're overwhelmed by the time and energy this crazy boy takes!!!

Liam is doing amazing. he started to walk recently, and he does this cute shuffle like crazy across the floor, and has a personality that is just the sweetest and most ornery...ever.

Let's see..his tricks. He blows kisses, he knows where his head is, he loves to feed the dog. He knows how to fill up a cup of water, adores playing the piano, and will dance to absolutely any kind of beat. He hasn't bee sleeping well but makes up for it with his little quirks and the silly things he does.

He is going back into therapy for some weakness we're seeing. But besides an appt with a neurosurgeon to look at the shape of his head, and the eye doctor, he's doctor free for a month! Unless his ear infection doesn't clear up. (Which 3 medications have yet been able to get rid of it so far).  We're looking forward to taking Liam back home to see family and enjoy a week of his first summer!

He is 22lbs and 30 inches tall. With four teeth and a gorgeous smile!!

I can't believe he's going to be eleven months old soon. My heart is swelling with joy for this little boy! Tonight, I worked on his birthday invitations and I am excited!!! His first birthday is going to be a hard and long day for us, but the biggest milestone for all three of us!

10 Months Old!

 Liam is ten months old. Seriously! Ten months! That is 305 days, 7,320 hours, 439,200 minutes. I am grateful for every second he has been alive, and am even more astounding by the growth he has experienced in just ten short months.

He waves hello and goodbye, he knows the signs for "all done" and "more'. He loves to dance and clap his hands, and play with his toys. His has an obsession with paper, he likes the way it rips into tiny pieces, and his favorite new menace is to play with the water cooler and splash in the puddles he makes. (We did put a gate up but he still manages to get it somehow).

And get this, a day before he turned ten month's old, he started walking! He's still a bit wobbly and all that, but he can take about 10 steps without falling! He still looks a little drunk though when he walks, but it's a cute kind of drunk!

He weighs 22lbs and seven ounces, and is 30 inches tall, a full 12 lbs heavier and 8 inches taller than he was at birth. He continues to be the light to our lives! And we are elated with how well his development goes. He will though, be returning back to his therapies because of weakness we are seeing. Regardless of it he still does his everyday thing.

I'll upload pictures once I can find my darn cord!!

9 Months In, 9 Month's Out

Liam has made quite a journey. He has officially been on the outside, as long as he's been on the inside. You might want to get technical with us...because he was inside of me for 42 weeks..but let's just go with 9 months in and out. It works better for our fragile brains.

Liam is fantastic, a spitfire of a little boy. Ooooh that boy has some personality. He yells an awful lot, when he doesn't like something your poor ears will know. He also resorts to hitting and scratching in times of excitement or anger. That, we have to work on.

Hmm. Tricks. Liam does a lot of tricks! He started saying "uh Oh", and he says, "What" too. If you ask him to say Ma Ma, he looks at you and smiles and in the exact tone repeats "DA DA!" It's hilarious...for a little while. But I really just want him to say Ma Ma again! He only does it when he's upset, and I hear that's quite common for babies!

He is cruising along furniture. He can stand for 10 to 20 seconds by himself. He thinks that everything is his and even with an entire living room full of toys, he loves electronics and small things the best. Being outside is a Godsend, and the pool - oh water is Liam's best friend!

We are headed back to PT and OT, his neurologist thinks that it would be best to help with the weakness on his right side. So we're not too thrilled to be jumping back into that, but we will do anything for Liam. He will love it, he loves the teachers at LIFE and he loves the attention. Oh..boy..does he love the attention. :)

What's up next for us? Well, we will be enjoying Liam's first summer and start to plan his first birthday bash. Which I am soooo excited to start planning for him. I really want to celebrate his first year of life giving what a miracle he is and all it took to get here. :)

Until next time...

That's the Life of a Leebug.

9 Months Old!!!

Okay, so I haven't posted here lately. But life has been crazy!!!!

After chasing after a crawling baby who thinks he knows more than I do, a wedding, moving, a tv show and all the normal parenting quirks in between...I have failed my duties as a blogger to update everyone on my son.

But, no one's been haunting me about it! No one has requested information!!

I will give a full update after his appointments on the 23rd, but Liam is doing fantastic. He does all sorts of tricks. He raises the roof, claps his hands, knows here his ears and eyes are. He says "What", "Dad", some version of "No", and is just the seriously brightest thing ever.

I just took a picture of him, and posted it next to his first picture ever. I will post it, but before I do...OMG. I am the parent of a nine month old. This is his last month before we head to double digits, then close out the year with his first birthday. I am in shock, and have so much to say, but he's sick right now and whining pathetically next to me.

SO. I must tend to my motherly duties.

\\

Crazy, how fast they grow? 12 pounds heavier, ten inches taller and a whole lot stronger. <3

<3

Liam crawls!

Watch "Creepy Crawlers (Liam can crawl!)" on YouTube

Da da da

Watch "Liam says "Da Da". Well, more like "duh duh"" on YouTube

Liam 7 Months

I updated the wrong blog with his 7 month update. Whoops. Anywho Liam is 7 months old going on 7. He has such attitude and has been crazy this week.

He started to crawl, but not enough or not often to the point where I can say he crawls. He really only crawls when he legitmately wants something. He also started to say, "da da". Ill post a video to that shortly.

:)

This is why my kid is awesome....

Watch "I love my kid." on YouTube

Super Baby!!

We have a super baby on our hands! Liam was given the clear from cardiology today. His enlarged PDA is now, closed! His heart looked fantastic on the EKG and Ultrasound. I should know, I got to see it myself.

He is currently 18lbs 15 oz, 28 inches tall, and is in the 90th percentile, for everything. Well, inbetween 90th and 99th.

He has learned to say "Mom", and claps his hands for almost anything. If he's really happy he claps his hands, if you tell him to "clap hands" he will clap. Then if you're trying to reprimand him from doing something, such as pulling our poor cat's hair...he claps his hands. So, it goes either way, but its cute!

He is getting over his first ear infection, and with that, yeast infection. (TMI, sorry). He is getting down the fundamentals of crawling and even slept in his crib two nights this week!

Liam is growing fantastically, and we are only days away from his seventh month birthday. Only five more months until the big ONE. Golly Jeez, I have a love/hate relationship with August this year.

Sooo, until our next adventure. Here's the little BOOGER trying to attack the camera.

That's The Life of a Leebug. :)

First Clap and Swim

Last week, on Saturday Liam swam for the first time! It was over 80 degrees and we took him into our complex's pool for a swim. He loved it. But he may have loved the swimming gear more than the actual swimming!

He also started to clap on Thursday. I posted a link to the video below so you can see, along with some of his pictures from swimming! Click Here to Watch Liam Clap!

And That's the life of a leebug.

Teef

Liam has teef! Two bottoms to be exact. They first made their initial appearance last week. But after a few really high fevers and sleepless night (only 3) those sharpies have taken it upon themselves to show ( and hurt my fingers!). I'm excited for the next step in Liam growing, but I will miss those toothless smiles that have melted my heart for the past 6 months.

Liam also can sit by himself now. He tries so hard to crawl, but his legs haven't gotten the memo. So hell lean forward to crawl, and ends up on the floor flipping over and over off of his blankets, then gets angry and yells.

We also took him swimming for the first time over the weekend. I will post pictures soon!

And that's about it, in the Life of a Leebug.

6 Months Old! And other adventures.

Firstr off, I must say I cannot believe that my son is 6 months old. And what a sweet boy he is!! Part of me wants my somewhat itty bitty baby back, but the other part of me absolutely loves how much of a little boy he is that I am getting to learn with and know. I'm torn with this whole growing business. He does keep me busy these days! I can never sit down and write anymore, because he always wants to do something! Whether it be playing on the mat, on top of Mommy or Daddy, or being sung to sleep...he needs me so much that I can never blog!

I apologize that it has taken so long to post on here. Life has been nonstop for quite some time, and you'd think by having a blogging App on my phone that this whole thing would be easier, but its not.

Liam has had quite a busy month! Like really! He visited the east coast last week, and then the day after getting back, drove to the west coast. He got to see his Grandpa again after 5 months, and meet some family members he hasn't met yet. Then, he enjoyed sight seeing in California, as well as going to Disneyland!

Liam is quite the traveler. No really, all in a matter of a week he had his first plane ride, first snow, first ocean, first trip to Disneyland, and first cold! He was in some major pieces of History in the US! Those including The Queen Mary, Hollywood, and the Santa Monica Pier. He even got to see a Seal for the first time at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA!

I'm including some pictures for ya'll. His 6 month stats are pretty cool. Lets see, he weighs 18lbs 14oz, his 29 inches tall, his favorite veggies are Sweet Potatoes and Squash, and he is obsessed with Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal like its baby crack. He is growing so much and is learning how to express his emotions..which means when hes unhappy - he yells a lot. But he is also developing such an amazing and awesome personality that I cannot wait to see unfurl!!


Below, is Liam on the Queen Mary, looking out of the ship's window.

Here is Liam ordering lunch aboard the King's Den on the Queen Mary.

Liam is high chair status officially. 

Liam and Kyler, really excited to be going to Disneyland!

Trying on Bunny Ears for Easter. Liam didn't like them. 

This is Liam in front of the Disneyland Entrance!

Liam aboard his first Disneyland ride, The Jungle Cruise!

Silly baby tried to take off his hat and glasses!

Liam is at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Behind us is  Pacific Ocean Sea Bass. The fish was bigger than Liam!

Liam and Mommy in front of a San Diego Ferry at Long Beach, Ca. 

This is Liam's first time touching the sand. At the Santa Monica Pier!

Giving us a thumbs down with a sad face. For the record, 6 month old Liam does NOT like the ocean or the sand that comes with it. Are you sure hes my child?

Trying to take off his sunglasses. 

Not succeeding at taking off his glasses nor getting out of sand. 

Liam's name in the sand, and below, Mommy, Daddy and Liam!

Enjoy the pictures!!